Everyone's talking about Pokémon GO at the moment, and with good reason - the Augmented Reality smartphone title has captured the imagination of fans all over the globe since its launch last week.
The fact that the game's servers are struggling to keep up with demand should give you some indication of how many people are using the app, but fresh data from Similar Web suggests that Pokémon GO is bigger than anyone could have predicted.
Astonishingly, Pokémon GO is (as of July 8th) installed on 5.16 percent of all Android devices in the US. That might not sound like much, but the day before that, it had overtaken the rather dubious dating app Tinder in concurrent Android installs.
That's only one part of the picture, however - engagement is another area where Pokémon GO is enjoying incredible success. Over 60 percent of those who have downloaded it in the US are using it every single day - that means approximately 3 percent of the entire US Android population are hooked on catching 'mon. In terms of daily active users, Pokémon GO is roughly equal to Twitter, and given a while longer, it could actually surpass the social network in this regard.
Usage time is also impressive for Pokémon GO. As of July 8th, the app was being used for an average of 43 minutes, 23 seconds a day - that's higher than Whatsapp, Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook's Messenger app. User retention figures are also good.
Of course, the game isn't available everywhere in the world just yet, and Niantic has paused the global rollout while it attempts to deal with the various server issues it is currently facing. That has predictably caused a surge in people looking for alternative ways to install the game, and if you're using Android, that means sourcing the apk file. Popular site apkmirror has experienced an explosion of traffic as people search for the file - it had 600,000 visits on July 5th but 4 million visits on July 6th, the day Pokémon GO launched.
Are you enjoying the app? Don't forget to let us know here, and if you're struggling to find your way then our handy starter's guide should be of some help.
[source similarweb.com]
Comments 50
I will be impressed if it has even half the number of players it has now in say, a month's time.
There seems like there is so much they can build on that there could be a real winner. I wish you could play when not connected to the Internet and some of the issues resolved. It doesn't allow me to use my phone's camera anymore which sucks. Overall I like it and use it daily so far.
@remlapgamer This really isn't a game you could play without being connected to the internet.
As a concept, it simply wouldn't work - the idea is that the game world is constantly updating around you. You can even influence other people's experiences by using certain items - so you have to be connected.
I know for some that's a pain - in fact, where I live, the mobile signal isn't great - but there's no way you could have an offline mode with this.
I'm loving the app so far. Obviously, they need to fix the servers and patch a few bugs, but it's turning into a true phenomena in my area and it's only been out for a few days. I'm excited to see the app cleaned up in a few weeks and get publicized for real. Oh, and whenever they release the second generation, my friends and I are going to go nuts.
I'm having so much fun with this game. It's really addicting and I'm actually thinking of getting off my behind walking around. There are a lot of churches around where I live and they're all Pokéstops. I'm a lazy bastard so that's impressive, especially with how hot and muggy it is outside.
Was this a DeNA project?
Something that would have never been achieved on a 3DS for sure.
Pretty ironic too that DeNA had nothing to do with this either.
@Mr_Zurkon Nope. Nintendo and Niantic.
Courtesy of @crimsontadpoles
I'm really liking it so far. I haven't really experienced any issues with it other than it being a bit slow at times, but that's how my Internet is all the time. I've even seen quite a few other people at the stops too; and I'm going to places in my town that I normally wouldn't. Its been really great, I hope it has lasting power for everyone interested in it now, I know I'll be playing for a while.
I'm tempted to ask the crazy geese people if I can pokehunt around their lake. I know they're crazy geese people because I had to go back there to find my chihuahua and they were home in the middle of the day with suspiciously small pupils just hanging out on the porch of their McMansion in the middle of no where.
@SLIGEACH_EIRE you really like lurking around every Pokémon Go article and spread negativity. I feel that way about other stuff and I might read articles regarding that stuff but why comment? Makes no sense.
@remlapgamer Maybe you accidentally turned of the "AR" switch by accident? The next time you're trying to catch one, note the little slider switch in the top right corner; I'd bet that's the problem. Good luck!
So far so good, expect it doesn't mention anywhere that your phone need gyroscope to make the AR work. (and my Samsung A5 doesn't) So I'm losing 80% fun here...
@gatorboi352
The game is always online and GPS heavy, two things the 3DS literally doesn't have. So you're not really saying something profound here. Nintendo has never bothered trying to add those sorts of features to their portables. Which is sensible given that most people only want to pay for one mobile plan. Even the iPad, the WiFi only SKU outsells the mobile one by something like 5:1.
At the same time I doubt that a lengthy single-player focused game that costs $40US would have done well on mobile. I doubt it would have moved over 10mill units. Mostly because those sort of experiences aren't fit for mobile. Also because that price wouldn't work on mobile.
Of the top 50 best selling mobile apps on Google Play in my region? Only one is above $10AU (it's a boating app). If you scroll through the top grossing apps? There's only one app in the top 300 that's not free. So no, Pokemon Go couldn't have worked on the 3DS. But Pokemon Sun/Moon wouldn't work on mobile.
I live directly across from a college. There are Pokestations everywhere!! Gyms too. I'm really diggin' this so far. People were walking around last night all playing the app.
I had a lot of trouble playing on the first day, but it has been great ever since! I went to my local university and there was seriously over a 100 people phones out on the lawn playing this game, I could hear the constant ringing of poke balls in the air. It was pretty astonishing to see how popular it really is in my own home town, I love you nintendo you deserve to knock this one out of the park.. and like others said I am sooo excited to see how the game itself evolves
@remlapgamer It requires connection to the online server as that controls the pokemon, pokestops and gyms as well as confriming GPS location.
Basically without internet you may as well just use an offline map app.
@crystaletter I find it easier with AR off, so I don't need to worry about turning around. And thats why gyro is needed, because it senses the movements of the phone.
@MadAdam81 Yeah it does look easier with AR off on the videos, but still I wish to see Pokemon in real world for once cos it's the core concept of this app, specifically when others are able to do so.
@SuperC142
Thank-you. I see the AR switch now. Honestly I really haven't had a chance to really explore the game and I feel like an idiot that I didn't see the AR on/off switch. I can't wait to play the game where I have 4G. Right now I can really only play walking in front of my house using the Wi-Fi.
Sure for most people this will be a fad like Flappy Bird and Farmville, but even those games lasted over a year of popularity, let alone permanent top sellers Angry Birds and Candy Crush. Once a game hits viral/fad status like these games, it is more likely they stick around for at least long enough to make the developers and publishers a HELL OF A LOT of money.
@Damo Mock trainer/gym battles, egg incubation, and menu control/power ups could all be done in offline mode. Any other mini game they want.
Hell, if they make a 'stadium training' themed mini game, they could probably sell ads on it.
It will be interesting seeing what they add to this game.
imagine how much more when it legit goes worldwide.
If I knew this upfront I wouldn't have been so critical of the servers. No one could have possibly predicted those numbers.
I just went out at 11:30 at night in my appartment complex and ran into three other players. I believe it.
Are we about done now with this mobile crap?
Well just found, on UK App Store, "Go Catch Em All!" complete rip off, even has screen shots off the Pokémon Go app and even same description
@Yasume assuming you haven't already glazed over the title and article in sheer denial, then not at all.
@ImgPxl All I wrote in my comment here was "No". Nothing else. Hardly the harbinger of negativity. We were asked a question and I simply answered it.
@Bunkerneath It's probably not even a functional rip-off but only some malware.
Oh great... I still have to fix my phone before downloading the app, but at this rate the servers will be obliterated by overload before I get the chance to try GO T_T;
3 percent of USA? That is indeed a lot!
Unbelievable. My comment was removed, why? All I wrote was "No". I hope that was because of some minimum character requirement for posts and not because it was deemed offensive? Are we not allowed to answer the question that was posed, "Are you enjoying the app?" Or are only "yes" answers allowed?
@SLIGEACH_EIRE
Now you're just being deliberately obtuse. Answering the question in such a flippant manner contributes nothing and can only really be interpreted as negative. 'No' is synonymous with 'negative' after all.
This was in response to post 35. The deletion of the comment is another matter.
@TearTheRoofOff Obtuse, eh?
@SLIGEACH_EIRE
Ha! Looks like a reflex to me...
Sounds like great news; probably won't be in the long run for people like me who actually care about Nintendo putting out the highest quality gaming experiences, and ones with proper controls, actual depth to the gameplay, and that are more about having genuine, pure, and innocent fun than insidious and addiction-based money generation systems wrapped in the skin of an innocent videogame.
But, I can at least admit that people are turning it into something genuinely fun and social by taking certain aspects of the game and really running with them, in ways that actually reach beyond the core design to a large degree, such as organising meet-ups of hundreds of people who are all interested in going out and catching Pokemon together—and that IS kinda cool. I expect some people might even meet their future partners via this App, which is something I can definitely get behind.
I do, however, really fear that Nintendo might end up focussing too much on this kind of casual and gimmicky stuff (and the likes of mobile Apps in general), now that it and its shareholders are seeing some potentially very big numbers, and I'm absolutely sure that's really not where I want the company to put most of its attention and resources going forward. Let's hope it figures out to do this stuff on top of the rest of its core gaming and entertainment business going forward, rather than possibly at the expense of much of it. Because, a glorified App developer is not a Nintendo I could be passionate about at all, and I think it would be a far lesser company in general if that's what it were to turn into, regardless of what the financials say.
I know Nintendo is better than simply becoming the next Zynga or Rovio and the like (as those companies currently exist at least).
Yeah, it seems to be very popular. Wich Nintendo is very happy about, no doubt. But ironically they don't reach much youngsters from what I have heard, but mostly the old generation (the people who played the old Pokemon's). Something went wrong, and I don't know what.
Anyway, another proof that mobile's where its at sales-wise. Wouldn't surprise me if Nintendo only supports NX for a year, before totally shifting to mobile. Gamers, we are losing!
@skywake all of what you're saying here is largely making my point exactly.
@Kirk Welp, something had to change, man. The "Nintendo you love" was also a way of doing business that was hurting them.
@Henmii @Kirk
Well, as much as the @gatorboi352's of the world seem to be convinced otherwise. I don't think this has changed much of anything. The sky is not falling we just now know how strong Nintendo's IP can be on mobile. But if everyone is so convinced it has then maybe we should just wait and see.
Because I think you're all forgetting something..... https://youtu.be/Kn25hijDL7c
@skywake I just worry that Nintendo's shareholders may be more influential than we think, especially now that Iwata is gone, and if they start seeing Apps outperforming core games . . . well, you know what shareholders are like, and it seems very much like Nintendo is more inclined to go off the beaten path now than it has since the time it first got into games, so I'm just a little worried.
@gatorboi352 Not exactly, because the "Nintendo I love" kinda hasn't been exactly that Nintendo for generations. It's been slowly but surely fading away from the Nintendo I used to love with a passion. It's still got a lot of the magic it used to have, but it's never been quite as magic as it was back in the days of the NES, SNES, and even N64 for a long time, imo. And less and less so with each new generation, from where I'm watching. That's why I worry when I see how much everyone is getting hyped by its steps into casual and gimmicky mobile games, especially the shareholders. I want Nintendo to be like Disney, not like Zynga or Rovio—and I really hope that's what Nintendo wants too.
@Kirk
There's a reason why Nintendo announced the NX at the same time as the DeNA partnership. There's a reason why Nintendo has made a point of saying that they're not going to damage their other business by simply porting games over to mobile. Nintendo's business is not a zero-sum-game.
So don't let people like @gatorboi352 and other keyboard warriors get you worried. Because Pokemon Go is not the new Pokemon. Pokemon Sun & Moon are still coming out, Zelda is still coming out, the NX is still coming out. Shareholders don't want Nintendo to crash through, they want Nintendo to make money by being all things to all people. Killing their profitable venture in full retail experiences to go chasing the mobile game lottery would be suicide. Being part of the mobile game lottery while still getting people hyped about grass in Zelda? Now that's a different story.
@skywake you're thinking with your heart, which is fine. I once did in regards to Nintendo too. 'Keyboard warrior' was pretty hilarious though.
"There's a reason why Nintendo has made a point of saying that they're not going to damage their other business by simply porting games over to mobile."
Nintendo also once said the DS was a 3rd pillar and wouldn't replace the GameBoy. A shift to mobile would be even less of a surprise.
Don't get all worked up. Nintendo won't give up console gaming.
@gatorboi352
Pokemon Go is great but it's not the same game you'd get on the 3DS. Very different than the GBA/DS dynamic where the DS had all of the same content and some. They've been saying that was the plan and now we see the first example of how that can work.
If Sun & Moon flop? Then you can jump around saying you were right. But until then there is no proof this will kill the 3DS. And if you ask me I think it'll help Sun & Moon. This is free advertising for Pokemon
@skywake but that's not what I'm saying, or hoping for. What I'm saying is Sun & Moon could totally work on mobile. A lot of Nintendo's games could. It's just, traditionalists don't want to see it that way. I get it. I once felt this way too, back when i owned a DS Phat, DS Lite and DSi.
No way the successor to the 3DS is as successful as the 3DS, but that's just my take. It's just the market today, IMO.
@gatorboi352
I know you're saying that Pokemon Go is somehow proof that their traditional games could work on mobile. That's the only point I'm disagreeing with. I think you're being way to quick to jump to that conclusion.
A free-to-play, mobile friendly game with Nintendo IP has done well. This is good news for Nintendo's mobile strategy. But I don't think it means the end of their largely single player focused, more technical, full retail products. If anything giving their IP greater exposure on mobile will probably help their other product tiers. As I said earlier, it's not a zero-sum game.
"The sky is not falling"
Well, actually it is! I don't say Nintendo is doooomed, but Nintendo is dooooomed....for proper gamers (well there's still the shining light that is Zelda: Breath of the wild, but things aren't looking well)!!
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