You have the right to look smug

While there are a great many people out there hoping that the Pokémon GO bubble is about to burst, the figures indicate that is unlikely to happen any time soon.

App Annie - a site which closely monitors trending smartphone apps - has published a neat summary of exactly where Niantic's game is right now, and the data is pretty remarkable.

The most impressive prediction is that Pokémon GO - which will push past the $350 million revenue marker in the coming days - could hit $1 billion before the close of the year, which would make it a bigger money-spinner than 2016's most successful movie, Captain America: Civil War.

What's even more interesting is that Pokémon GO isn't just lining the pockets of Niantic and The Pokémon Company - it's also helping other businesses thanks to its location-based nature. McDonald's in Japan has recently entered into a partnership with with the game and has posted its first profit in two years, with sales leaping almost 30 percent in July. Another report suggests that an ice cream parlour in Washington has credited Pokémon GO with saving its struggling business, while retailers are claiming that Pokémon merchandise is selling out all over the globe.

What makes all of this even more striking is that Pokémon GO is only just getting started; it hasn't launched in every country yet, and three major territories on the waiting list are China, South Korea and India.

China is a massive potential market - bigger than the US in terms of mobile revenue - and that is sure to lead to even more commercial success. It's also worth pointing out that major updates are planned for the game, including monster trading and of course new beasts to collect - currently, the game only uses the original 151 Pokémon and there are over 700 monsters in the series at the time of writing. That's gigantic potential for growth.

While Nintendo only owns a third of The Pokémon Company, there's no denying that the success of Pokémon GO is going to contribute massively to the company's bank balance in 2016 and beyond.

[source appannie.com]