Pokémon GO had a staggering launch, even when its roll-out was rather slow and steady. It set new records in revenues and was even threatening the likes of Google Maps in terms of daily users, a rather extraordinary state of affairs.
Those levels were never going to last, naturally, and though gradual updates aim to improve some aspects of the game momentum is starting to ease off.
Axiom Capital Management - via Bloomberg - has been accumulating data from multiple sources (Sensor Tower, SurveyMonkey, and Apptopia) to draw out the global picture of Pokémon GO's momentum. It highlights that, long term, Niantic's app isn't sustaining the engagement and user numbers that saw it temporarily overtake the likes of Twitter. The data indicates a gradual decline in the numbers of those accessing and playing the app regularly.
These are still hefty figures, it must be said, and GO isn't exactly struggling or falling away badly after being on the market for over a month in various territories. Its download numbers have naturally dropped as tens of millions have already picked it up, but it's still making a lot of money. Having taken a look at App Annie data it's apparently still - at the time of writing - the top grossing app on iPhone (for example) in the likes of the United States, UK, Germany and more, while it's currently 4th in Japan (as of 23rd August).
Despite the fact it's still generating a lot of income from in-app purchases, the general downward trends are inevitable, especially considering the giddy highs it reached. No doubt Niantic will be shifting its focus to address common complaints from the vocal parts of its community, while also plotting new content in the coming months to keep players interested.
Gradually, however, the craze will likely downgrade from being a phenomenon to, well, just a chart-topping app.
[source bloomberg.com]
Comments 37
It's still the top grossing app on iOS in North America. I assume part of the decline has to do with school starting seeing as how the two coincide.
This isn't my favourite game but catching the animals is always nice.
When all the Pokemon within a reasonable distance from my location are the same 4 Pokemon, and they are impossibly difficult to catch, there's no need for me to log in constantly. Also the game is super inaccurate with the step counting for eggs.
The amount of Pokemon Go related articles on Nintendo Life have NOT declined, however.
@faint Im not sure why this would be a problem, I see peeps all over my school catchin' the mons'
They need to release more content
Gen 2 Pokemon and Trading please!
wow its basically cut in half, and only 1 month after it launching
Still using it, but if they would fix some of the problems here...
This is not much of a decline. This is the usual "slow down" after the launch peak, nothing to worry about. By the time the game really looses momentum, they will have more to offer and people will come back. All they need to do is to add in shineys and we are good for several more months.
Inevitable. But it did its job more than admirably.
@crazyj2312 'The amount of Pokemon Go related articles on Nintendo Life have NOT declined, however.'
I totally second this! Man I've avoided nearly all the articles on here since the first week GO was launched. Pokemon is one franchise I just have absolutely no interest I since the 90s and that hasn't changed. It's like 'Animal Crossing N(L)ew Leaf' all over again (lol) with the amount of click bait pokemon non-stories.
My kids and I were discussing this today. We hardly play it, both kids at level 6, but that will decline even more once school starts in 2 weeks. They need to add Gen 2 to compensate for both school starting and the season changing, cool and dark. And trading. And updating in app - spent 10 minutes trying to connect, getting server messages, updated, then on.
So, when does that $35 friendship bracelet release again? I bet Gen 2 releases around then to try and drive sales.
@readyletsgo What's more interesting is the lack of AC and FE articles, as both should be releasing soon. I guess everybody at DeNA is too busy playing Pokémon Go.
This is normal for smartphone apps. New content like 2nd gen pokemon could allow the usage to jump back up again for a while.
The player base is declining over a month and a half after release? What a surprise!
still better than Miitomo
I'm thinking it's maybe because they won't let people play how they want to play, be it using trackers, or other mods.
I'm starting to lose interest in the game myself. It's been a struggle at level 22 Every dang Pidgey I catch I end up burning up through five or more Poke-Balls. The game lately has just become a slow and annoying grind, and GYM's are pretty much pointless.
Watch it pick up once the Johto Pokemon are added. Then you'll see players walking by humming this;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlNw_ZbrF6A
I have this game downloaded but I don't play it at all. I live in a very rural area so finding Pokestops is a pain in the rear and I'm literally down to like 6 pokeballs. I have no desire to spend real money to get more when I can just play one of my main series games.
There was such an overwhelming abundance of issues with Pokemon Go since the start that several of my friends and I stopped playing out of frustration. I was afraid this would happen and discourage others from continuing. I just started playing again a few days ago.
That's normal for smartphone apps. That's actually a fairly soft decline considering Niantic's poor handling of issues post launch.
The current issues and lack of content, alongside the seasonal change and school starting back up will cause further decline.
Though the fall weather might actually increase usage in some areas. I know I'm certainly looking forward to cooler weather!
Doesn't surprise me, the iOS demographic has a 5 second attention span. Honestly, with how crazed the world got, I'm surprised the fad hasn't entirely burned out yet. Really, the only way to keep the numbers high I would think is to add new features fairly regularly - more regularly than they have, and more features than they've yet added. I know they have plans and know they've been addressing bugs but the speed the audience would want new features is unrealistic anyways. I'd be surprised if gen 2 comes out before Sun and Moon, and while the bigger fans may stick around the majority of players will trickle into other apps. I mean I imagine big updates may result in spikes of returning players (provided they properly advertise the updates) but generally people these days will play an iOS game for a bit, grow bored, delete it, and move on... And, if they find out new content has come they might redownload it but the cycle will continue.
Long story short, the decline was inevitable and will only continue, attention spans these days are patient enough to wait months for another gen... I'd love to be proven wrong though, I've honestly only started to just really get into the game due to a variety of reasons... (Had it from Day 1 but had so many problems with it, as many have.)
Surprised it's not a lot bigger than that. I've gone from seeing everyone playing it, to hardly seeing anyone playing. The poke stops around my office used to have constant lures on, now they go days without one I don't think gen 2 will bring them back either as its not as recognisable as gen 1.
Taiwan didn't get the memo.
Good. Away with this rubbish.
Some decline is unavoidable, especially when there are many reasons for players to consider to move on.
Personally I had to stop playing as I got tired of the bugs messing around with me, it was like the game was trolling me!
For name a few, it was always stopping to work when I was not watching, a weedle popped out of over 6 pokeballs and the game even ate one of my eggs, 5Km of careful hatching for nothing T_T;
I think that some of the decline is expected, especially as kids will be heading back to school and students back to college/uni.
However, like I said in another article, they NEED to fix the difficulty catching basic pokemon as well as the tracker. Lots of people like hunting for specific pokemon. I'm still enjoying it but i'm becoming bored of ~100cp pokemon breaking out of multiple pokeballs.
This was inevitable.
The problem is the excrutiatngly long time for niantic to produce the updates giving a fuller experience.
Where's the legendaries?
Why can't we trade?
Why can't we battle each other?
Where are the events?
Where are the mysticals?
Why is battling SOOO basic and removes the strategy element to one of the biggest games in history?
It's like we have a beta demo for a stripped version of an awesome game and we are yet to get the real Pokemon Go.
Update and go home.
i'm not playing it anymore because i ran out of mobile data and have yet to buy more
regardless, this is expected around the time people go back to school
I think it was unavoidable with three big factors: (1) How absolutely huge it was when it first launched - even my dental assistants at my dentist appointment were talking about it last month; I think it was way bigger than anyone's wildest expectations. (2) It's back to school time so some decline is expected . and (3) it got a reputation for bugs and crashes that would also put off a number of people.
I think it's still doing fine. A lot of other games would kill for that kind of retention rate given those factors.
The numbers may drop a bit but its still undoubtedly a success.
I just want a working tracker. I'm the kind of gamer who needs the carrot in front of his nose...or the Ekans, somewhere in that direction...LET ME HUNT!
@Captain_Gonru "no longer of a lifespan than any other mobile game"
Well, I've been playing Candy Crush addictively for about 3 years, level 1750 or so, if they can match that they'll be doing pretty good. How many other videogames have a 3 year life expectancy? I think Angry Birds lasted about 3 years. Pokemon itself has lasted 20 as a franchise. So Go can last 20.
Good question about how to spread the word in mobile games. I'll just pick a few. Word of mouth. 1 kid in school finds out about it, everybody will know, wildfire.
This website.
http://www.pokemon.com/us/
Update notification notes. First line write - 100 new Pokemon added.
General news. Everybody news outlet in the world will announce when new Pokemon get added. Forbes did a piece on the latest update which added appraisals.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/davidthier/2016/08/24/appraisal-team-leader-candela-blance-spark-mystic-valor-instinct-how-to-use-appraise-in-pokemon-go/#7f19f04c30c5
Pokemon Go has peaked, certainly, but a peaking Go isn't the same as a peaking Wii U. It will do just fine or a long time to come, don't worry about it.
"And the press conference scheduling people are fighting over when to talk about AC and FE without overshadowing NX, and vice versa."
You win the internet for today.
I can't say I'm really surprised.
While the casuals were always going to stop playing, the game lacked enough content to begin with, and the roll out of new, interesting things to do in Pokemon GO has been slow, they've in fact removed content, by going out of their way to make tracking Pokemon very difficult, and in exchange haven't actually added any meaningful new content since the game's release.
I've maintained that the biggest issue with the game, is how disposable every Pokemon is compared to the main games, because of the limitation on raising Pokemon based on how many of that species you've captured.
@DarkKirby yeah i think so too. Pokemon are very disposable. I also dont understand why they had to go with pokecandies instead of just giving XP points after a battle with a wild pokemon without the need of catching them. It wouldnt made people be less motivated to go outside and search for them. To be honest i think it would motivate people more so they could focus much easier on leveling up to fight gyms and maybe later other trainers you meet. It would be an endless competition between people and will work a lot more addicting in that way(atleast for me because i played pokemon go only once)
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