'Pokemon Go' raked in $73 million during October, a whopping 67% increase over the previous year
- Pokémon Go players spent more than $70 million on the free-to-play game during October 2018, an increase of 67% percent from October 2017.
- Pokemon Go was the seventh highest earning mobile video game during the month, earning more than the mobile version of "Fortnite: Battle Royale."
- Japanese players spent slightly more than players in the U.S.; together the two countries account for about two-thirds of the game's revenue.
It seems like the sun will never set on Pokémon fever. Now several months into its third year, "Pokémon Go" shows few signs of slowing down, having earned $73 million during October 2018 according to research firm SensorTower.
The mobile video game is still free-to-play, but players can spend money on in-game items and cosmetics. Japanese players made up the majority revenue, out spending players from the U.S. by a thin margin. Together the two countries accounted for 66.1% of the game's revenue during October. SensorTower reports that the game was the the eighth highest earning mobile app worldwide in October and 7th among mobile games, earning more than the mobile version of "Fortnite: Battle Royale."
"Pokémon Go" recently unveiled a new batch of creatures from "Pokémon: Diamond and Pearl," which likely led to renewed interest in the game. The October earnings reflect an increase of about 67% when compared to last year; the game earned $43.6 million during October 2017.
This is certainly good news as Nintendo prepares to launch "Pokémon: Lets Go, Pikachu!" and "Pokémon: Let's Go, Eevee!" later this month. The two games are remakes of "Pokemon Red & Blue" and the first main series Pokémon games to arrive on the Nintendo Switch.
"Pokémon Go" developer Niantic recently relaunched their original mobile exploration game "Ingress" under the name "Ingress Prime." The game is an alternative to "Pokémon Go" with similar, albeit more complex, mechanics and a unique story. Niantic is also working on a Harry Potter-title in the same vein as "Pokémon Go" named "Harry Potter: Wizards Unite."