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Pokemon Go Revenue Surged in 2019 to Nearly $900 Million in Best Year Ever; Lifetime Revenue at $3.1 Billion

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Pokemon Go recorded its most lucrative year ever in 2019, according to Sensor Tower Intelligence. The mobile game generated an estimated $894 million, beating out the $832 million set in its 2016 launch year. Lifetime spending for Pokemon Go is now at $3.1 billion.

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While 2017 saw a notable dip in revenue for the game, Pokemon Go has been rebounding ever since. Sensor Tower believes this is largely due to an increase in the number of in-game events and new content, which includes the addition of well-known Pokemon antagonists Team Rocket.

Indeed, since Team Rocket’s introduction throughout the last four months of 2019, Pokemon Go recorded its fourth and fifth-best months ever, generating $116 million in August and $126 million in September.

As for the revenue breakdown by region, the United States accounted for a majority of 38% with $335 million. Japan came in second with $286 million.

By platform, Pokemon Go’s revenue split is unusual among other location-based AR games in that Google Play accounts for the majority of revenue. Users spent $482 million (54%) on Android, while iOS accumulated $412 million (46%).

To compare Pokemon Go’s 2019 performance to the industry’s most successful mobile games, it’s currently the fifth highest earner.

Sensor Tower notes that Pokemon Go is the only location-based game that has managed to increase revenue since launch, which it attributes to “astute live operations and in-game events that have kept players consistently coming back for more.”

You can check out our previous feature on the fastest-earning mobile games for more useful insight.

About the author

Alex Gibson

Alex was a Senior Editor at Twinfinite and worked on the site between January 2017 and March 2023. He covered the ins and outs of Valorant extensively, and frequently provided expert insight into the esports scene and wider video games industry. He was a self-proclaimed history & meteorological expert, and knew about games too. Playing Games Since: 1991, Favorite Genres: RPG, Action

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