Pokémon GO all-time IAP revenue worldwide 2016-2021

In 2021, Pokémon GO in-app purchase revenues surpassed 904 million U.S. dollars worldwide. It was the mobile app’s second-most profitable year since launching in 2016, when it netted approximately 588.77 million U.S. dollars.

Pokémon Go: a global phenomenon

Pokémon Go took the world by storm in 2016. Within a week of its release on July 19, the mobile app had been downloaded over ten million times worldwide, indicating the enormous hype surrounding the launch of Nintendo’s first venture into mobile gaming. The location-based augmented reality (AR) game involves catching, training, and battling virtual creatures (Pokémon) in real-world locations via smartphone. While the initial Pokémon craze has slowly faded, the game still enjoys millions of active users around the world and the Asia-Pacific region, in particular.

Player spending increases in a quest to catch ’em all

In 2020, Pokémon Go was among the leading free-to-play (FTP) gaming titles worldwide, generating around 1.92 billion U.S. dollars in revenue. While both app download and usage are free, the game uses a freemium business model that supports in-app purchases. Users can buy additional Pokéballs or other in-game items to level up and increase their chances of becoming a successful virtual Pokémon trainer. In order to maintain players’ interest and participation, developer Niantic continues to expand the game by introducing new features and characters like popular franchise antagonists Team Rocket..