Pokemon Go for iOS and Android has proven to be a huge success. Pokémon Go, developed by Niantic and Nintendo, first launched on iPhone last week and is on top of App Store charts since. Developer Niantic was an internal startup at Google. It’s currently available in the U.S., Australia, and New Zealand, Pokémon Go is expected to launch in Europe, Japan and other countries in Asia “within a few days,” according to The Wall Street Journal.
This free-to-play game allows players to capture and train virtual Pokémon who appear throughout the real world. Following a successful capture, the user is rewarded with not only the virtual creature but one of two types of in-game currency needed for progression, which is also available as in-app purchases.
Pokémon Go encourages people to meet in designated areas with other players so that they can catch wild Pokémon together. Real-world locations have no control over how their location is being used by the app, which has led some businesses to use the game to entice customers to visit. Northwestern State is using the fact that the university has “plenty of Gyms and Pokestops” on campus to entice users to tour their campus.
A Teenager discovered a dead body
On July 8, 19-year-old Shayla Wiggins was trying to find a water Pokémon in a location that sounds like the perfect place for them: near a river in Riverton, Wyoming. While scanning the area, Wiggins discovered what turned out to be a body floating in the water and called 911.Wiggins told Kotaku that because she quit playing to dial 911, she never did find the Pokémon she was looking for.
Pokemon Go has already been installed on about 5 percent of Android smartphones, compared to Tinder on about 2 percent. Clearly, Pokemon fulfills a basic human need. (Source – SimilarWeb )
It’s estimated that Pokémon Go is bringing in between $3.9 million and $4.8 million per day based on in-app sales.
Shares of Nintendo climbed 8 percent last week, adding $7.5 billion in value, as investors are encouraged by the success of the Japanese game maker’s expansion onto smartphones. So far, it’s estimated thatPokémon Go is bringing in between $3.9 million and $4.8 million per day based on in-app sales,according to CNBC.
More recent data is not available, but “Pokémon Go” may have already overtaken Twitter.
Tinder was launched back in 2012, five years ago, while Twitter came out in 2006 — a decade ago. “Pokémon Go” came out last week. – Businessinsider
Image credit – Kinja