Pokémon Go is an augmented reality mobile game tied to Nintendo’s best-selling Pokémon franchise. Gameplay sees users encountering the eponymous creatures in real-world settings, utilising mobile GPS. Users can catch and train the Pokémon, then battle against other users, mimicking gameplay of the videogame series.
Despite carrying the name of one of Nintendo’s marquee titles, Pokémon Go was developed by San Francisco-based game developer Niantic. Niantic specialises in AR games, and was originally founded as an internal startup within Google. The Pokémon Company, responsible for brand management, production, marketing and licensing of the franchise served as a go-between between the two.
The game launched in July 2016 and became not just a smash hit game, but a global cultural phenomenon. In the summer of 2016, it seemed as if there was no getting away from Pokémon Go. There was even a Pokémon Go Frappuccino! It also inspired 200,000 Spotify playlists.
Accordingly, a spate of records were broken.
Pokémon Go revenue in the first month broke records, generating $207 million revenue. This was despite its launch being staggered, with its Japanese release not occurring until two weeks after general release. It was also the most downloaded game of 2016 and topped most international charts.
The success, however, could not be sustained. Pokémon Go seemed to be an all-conquering phenomenon in its first few months, but hype faded as the summer ended and people moved on to other things. At its peak, Pokémon Go was drawing in over 200 million people per month, by December 2016 that number had fallen to less than 50 million.
Since the initial crash, there has been smatterings of growth, as players return to Pokémon Go and Niantic adds new highly-requested features to the game. To that end, Niantic has continued to generate over $500 million from Pokemon Go each year. It surpassed $1 billion for the first time in 2020.
We have collected data and statistics on Pokémon Go. Read on below to find out more.
Pokémon Go Key Statistics
- Pokémon Go made $545 million revenue in 2024, a slight decline on the previous year
- 55 million people played Pokémon Go in 2023. It peaked at 232 million active players in 2016
- Niantic was valued at $9 billion in 2021, off the back of Pokémon Go’s sustained popularity
Pokémon Go Overview
| Title 1 | Title 2 |
|---|---|
| Launch date | 6 July 2016 |
| HQ | San Francisco, California |
| People | Tatsuo Nomura (Pokémon Go director), John Hanke (Niantic CEO) |
| Owner | Niantic |
| Business type | Private |
Pokémon Go Revenue
Pokémon Go has seen its revenues decline over the past four years, after strong growth from 2017 to 2020.
Pokémon Go revenue 2016 to 2024 ($bn)
| Year | Revenue ($bn) |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 1.03 |
| 2017 | 0.58 |
| 2018 | 0.81 |
| 2019 | 0.89 |
| 2020 | 1.23 |
| 2021 | 1.11 |
| 2022 | 0.77 |
| 2023 | 0.58 |
| 2024 | 0.54 |
Sources: Niantic, Sensor Tower
Pokémon Go Users
After 2016, Pokémon Go lost about 70 percent of its player base. This increased again in 2018, only to see slight declines each year since.
Pokémon Go active players 2016 to 2023 (mm)
| Year | Users (mm) |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 232 |
| 2017 | 65 |
| 2018 | 131 |
| 2019 | 113 |
| 2020 | 86 |
| 2021 | 71 |
| 2022 | 62 |
| 2023 | 55 |
Sources: Sensor Tower, Statista
Pokémon Go Downloads
Pokémon Go has been downloaded over 650 million times, although about a third of downloads were recorded in the first year.
Pokémon Go cumulative downloads 2016 to 2024 (mm)
| Year | Downloads (mm) |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 260 |
| 2017 | 335 |
| 2018 | 394 |
| 2019 | 452 |
| 2020 | 514 |
| 2021 | 572 |
| 2022 | 614 |
| 2023 | 654 |
| 2024 | 691 |
Source: AppMagic
Niantic Valuation
Niantic valuation increased from $150 million before publishing Pokémon Go to $9 billion in 2021. Pokémon Go is still the company’s most profitable and popular game.
Niantic private valuation 2015 to 2021 ($bn)
| Year | Valuation ($bn) |
|---|---|
| 2015 | 0.15 |
| 2016 | 3.65 |
| 2019 | 4 |
| 2021 | 9 |
Source: Crunchbase
Pokémon Go FAQ
How popular is Pokémon Go?
After a slump in 2017, Pokémon Go grew in popularity. It currently has about 55 million active users.
Where is Pokémon Go most popular?
Pokemon Go is most popular in the United States, Brazil India, the UK and Japan.
Where does Pokémon Go make the most revenue?
Users from the United States also contribute the most to Pokémon Go revenue. Japan is second in total spend by country.
What mobile platform does Pokémon Go generate most revenue?
iOS accounts for the majority of mobile spend, with the US and Japan two of the countries with the highest percentage of iOS users.
How many people attended Niantic live events?
2.7 million people attended Niantic events in 2019.
How far have Pokémon Go players walked collectively?
In 2016, Pokémon Go players walked 8.7 million km collectively, enough to get to the end of the Solar System. By March 2019, that value had risen to 23 billion km collectively.
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