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Niantic’s augmented reality Pokémon game, Pokémon Go, netted $68.1 million in January 2019.
According to Sensor Tower (thanks, VentureBeat), that’s up 84 per cent from January 2018, when Niantic made $37 million, and takes the game’s total revenue to $2.3 billion.
Pokémon Go came in tenth on the Top 10 grossing mobile apps overall last month, and secured eighth place for the game with the highest earnings. By comparison, in January 2018 it ranked nineteenth in the overall apps charts, and seventeenth in the top games list.
Japan continues to be the game’s top territory, making up 35 per cent of its revenue. Next is the US, which contributes 29 per cent.
Niantic recently launched a new gameplay system, Adventure Sync, that enables players to count their steps in-game without needing to keep the app open. Unsurprisingly, Niantic’s first implementation of the system was for Pokémon Go, helping players hatch eggs and earn candy without draining their phone batteries.
"This key feature unlocks a wide variety of gameplay opportunities on the Niantic Real World Platform, serving as an efficient and phone-friendly high-engagement tool that inspires players to head out into their local communities," said Niantic CEO John Hanke at the time. "We’re looking forward to finding new and exciting ways to implement it in our other games in the future."
Niantic also recently teamed up with the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) to enhance global tourism and develop "innovative tourism experiences through real-world games". Described as "the leaders in mobile augmented reality (AR) experiences", Niantic has been tasked with curating "unique campaigns to foster exploration and build awareness of destinations around the world".
