Few games have been as successful as Pokémon GO, Niantic’s ARG Pokémon game that when it launched in 2016 caused an actual societal shift globally (if only for a brief time) as millions if not billions of people set out into the world to catch ‘em all. Well now, almost seven years after the game launched that blissful summer, it appears to be in dipping a bit, hitting a five year low in monthly revenue, the lowest earning revenue since February 2018.
Of course, that “low” is $34.7 million dollars in April, which like, that probably exceeds certain tiny countries’ monthly GDP. But it’s a drop from $42.8 million in March and $58 million in February, which means that percentage-wise it’s a pretty sharp 40% drop over two months. What’s the reason? It’s likely tied to Niantic raising the price of Remote Raid Passes, which has prompted backlash and the “Hear Us Niantic” movement/hashtag on social media, with users banding together to cite the price raise as unjust, particularly to GO players with disabilities. Niantic defended the decision, citing it as necessary for the long term health of the game.
We’ll see if that holds true if the revenue for the game keeps dropping. While we doubt GO is in dire straits considering how much money it still earns, it’s worth keeping a lookout to see how Niantic responds to the decline.
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Written by Amelia Fruzzetti
A writer and Nintendo fan based in Seattle, Washington. When not working for NinWire, she can be found eating pasta, writing stories, and wondering about when Mother 3 is finally going to get an official localization.
