Pokemon Go players gather at the Sydney Opera House in Sydney, Australia. (Getty)
The free-to-play mobile game Pokemon Go has already made more than $400 million in revenue.
According to new information released by Sensor Tower, the app has made about $440 million worldwide since its launch on July 6th. This puts Niantic Labs’ net revenue at $308 million. And while the game is no longer as popular now as it was when it first launched, it continues to earn $4 million in net revenue every day.
As well, the app has passed 180 million worldwide downloads since July, meaning it has been installed in roughly 12 percent of all smartphones. Those who have stuck with the game are also playing it just as much as they used to; as of August 30th, the average amount of time spent in the app per day is 32 minutes. For comparison, during the game’s launch week, that number was 33 minutes.
Sensor Tower compared this revenue to some of the summer’s biggest movies, showing that Pokemon Go was more profitable than some of Hollywood’s films without spending a dime on advertising. Pokemon Go brought in more money than Star Trek Beyond, Independence Day: Resurgence, Ghostbusters, Warcraft and The Angry Birds Movie. The latest Star Trek, for instance, brought in $244 million worldwide.
Those unfamiliar with Pokemon Go may be wondering how a free game could be so financially successful. Well, Pokemon Go players can spend real world money on virtual items, which are not required for gameplay but that certainly make life easier. For example, trainers often run out of Poke Balls, and although these can be obtained by visiting Poke Stops, they can also be purchased from the store, with 20 Poke Balls costing $0.99.
Many other items are available for purchase, all of which are extremely useful. The game can be played without spending a single cent, but clearly there are a significant number of players willing to invest their money in it.
Although Pokemon Go is no longer quite the phenomenon it was in July, there will likely be a spike in popularity when Nintendo’s wearable device, Pokemon Go Plus, hits stores this fall.
