Pokémon GO revenue down 20%, downloads down 18%

The officers were accused of ignoring a robbery at a nearby Macy’s in favor of discussing and playing the video game. (Getty Images)

by: Harper Emch

Posted: Feb 1, 2023 / 03:59 PM EST

Updated: Feb 1, 2023 / 03:59 PM EST

CHARLESTON, WV (WVNS) – In 2022, the hit location-based mobile game ‘Pokémon GO’ saw its revenue and downloads drop significantly.

As one of the most popular mobile games to ever launch globally, Pokémon GO witnessed an influx of new players who spent an impressive amount of money on in-app purchases over the past seven years. However, last year, Niantic’s location-based megahit saw its revenue and downloads significantly drop.

Pokémon Go took the world by storm back in 2016. Within a week of its release, the mobile game had been downloaded over ten million times worldwide, showing the enormous hype about the launch of Nintendo’s first venture into mobile gaming. That year alone, Pokémon Go hit $550.4 million in revenue. Since its release in 2016, Pokémon Go has been downloaded 602 million times worldwide. Around 40% of all downloads were made just in the game’s first year.

However, the game soon attracted controversy for creating public annoyance and contributing to accidents. As a result, annual revenues dropped by 19.2% to $444.7 million in 2017. The Pokémon Go fan base continued surging in the next three years, pushing player spending to new record highs.

In 2020 only, when millions of people turned to mobile games amid the COVID-19 lockdown, Pokémon GO was downloaded close to 60 million times, 3 million more than in 2019. The Statista and App Magic data show 2020 remains the record year by annual revenue, with Pokémon Go players spending $909.1 million on Pokéballs and other in-game items. However, statistics show it’s been downhill since then, with 2022 marking the lowest annual number of downloads ever.

Statistics show Pokémon Go players spent $703.7 million on the title in 2022 or 19.9% less than a year before. Despite a substantial revenue drop, it still hit over $4.7 billion in lifetime revenue.

According to data presented by CasinosEnLigne.com, Pokémon GO’s annual revenue dropped by almost 20% year-over-year to $703 million in 2022, down from $877.6 million in 2021.

This data could show the beginning of a downward trend for Pokémon GO, and the end of an era of augmented reality mobile gaming.