Rumor: Pokemon GO Makes $1.6 Million Per Day, Just on iOS, Just in USA

According to app revenue estimator ThinkGaming, Pokemon GO makes $1.6 million per day on the iOS store just in the USA. Although this number is unconfirmed, previously Tatsumi Kimishima, the President of Nintendo, has stated that online estimates for Miitomo have been pretty accurate. As a result, it is likely that these numbers are at least ballpark accurate as well.

[Maybay]

So now Nintendo will focus all their casual software efforts towards smarts phones, nice! ;)

[-Foxtrot]

Then the same people who bought into this crap and have most likely stopped playing it after a few weeks will moan that Nintendo is not supporting hardcore gaming

This is going to be fun

[naruga]

^^damn exactly ... it s also a demo of Nintendo 's IPs unbelievable potential and appeal ..even crap with Pokemon name on are profitable....this is completely against Pokemon fans, as generally a common demand between fans is at last a proper open world quality RPG Pokemon game with current gen visuals ....this little crappy mobile game is just worsening things for fans who wait such a game even from Game boy era

[xMANB3ARP1G]

no they can not the casual crowd turned their backs on nintendo during gamecube if you wernt there then your not needed now thanks for ruing nintendo games fo the rest of us you jack asses.

[The 10th Rider]

Ingress is actually a played by a lot of hardcore players. People take it crazy seriously. Just read the reddit about it.

Also, many other companies make video game tie-in apps to expand their profits and widen their IPs appeal, case in point: https://play.google.com/sto...

Yet, Nintendo does it and it's like the sky is falling down. I really doubt anyone is worried about Nintendo focusing on casuals with their console games after the stellar showing of Breath of the Wild at E3.

[-Foxtrot]

The 10th Rider

Oh yeah bring Sony into this...well done.

Sony did an Uncharted game on mobile...so? They have plenty of hardcore game support and continue doing that unlike Nintendo where the support for the Wii U is dead in the water and god knows what the NX will be like.

Flamebaitgod

Lol...are you just following the crowd and saw someone else say that about it....complete bullshit.

When I make an everyday comment you could see as standard or positive...no one bats an eye lid, yet the negative ones are constantly noted. Please...I'm a realist, not a sheep like the majority of gamers out there who only moan until it's too late to change anything.

[The 10th Rider]

Lol, I also mentioned the stellar showing of Breath of the Wild at E3, which is hardly a casual game.

As of now, we don't know what they've got coming for NX. Your claims of them abandoning making serious console games for mobile is completely unfounded. As much as it stinks, of course there's not much more coming to Wii U because everything's been pushed to NX, so there's no point in raging about Nintendo abandoning hardcore gaming until we see what they've got coming, which won't be until the NX is revealed.

Sony was brought up because they made games for their popular franchises available on mobile to expand profits and IP awareness, just as Nintendo is trying to do. Yes, Sony is heavily supporting the PS4 still, but we don't know what Nintendo is planning until the NX is coming out, as said above.

[fr0sty]

Nintendo finally takes one tiny baby step into the realm of being a third party developer, and look what happens. They always made better games than systems, the company should have gone this direction long ago.

[NewMonday]

its a good thing if this convinces Nintendo to let go of hardware and just be the biggest game developers and publishers in the world

[Segata]

Nope. Just money to help publish Bayonetta 3 and Beyond Good and Evil 2 ;)

[GrimmyReaper]

"and Beyond Good and Evil 2 ;)"

Just ... Just what? What does Beyond Good and Evil have to with any of this?
It's not Nintendo Exclusive and it's from Ubisoft

[Monster_Tard]

@GrimmyReaper

It's rumored to be an NX exclusive funded by Nintendo.

[Concertoine]

I don't think Nintendo is publishing Pokemon Go. I see people walking around GLUED to their phone playing this all the damn time.

[Segata]

But they do get money from it. They are one of three owners in the pokemon company.

[pcz]

i personally think its a really smart app that utilises the pokemon franchise well, in the context of a phone app.

it gives the 'player' the experience of being a pokemon trainer, hunting for pokemon, in 'reality'.. i think its cool.

but of course there is a danger nintendo could be distracted by the popularity and start shifting their focus on more similar 'games', moving even further away from traditional gaming

[susanto1228]

Yep say goodbye to nintendo console games....but then again.....no wonder nintendo keeps getting called for kiddie games.

[wonderfulmonkeyman]

Thanks for saying that.
By looking down your raised nose at Nintendo's games that way, it makes you a stand-out example of a Sony/Microsoft fan who would never give Nintendo money for games even if they went third party, and further supports the fact that going third party is a death trap for Nintendo that they should avoid at all costs.

At this point I might as well start a name list to keep track of all the people just like you that I run into on the internet on a daily basis.

[italiangamer]

Holy shit, just on iOS and just in America. Holy shit again!!

[Zodiac]

Just in the US.

[Critic4l_Strik3]

Just in iOS

[Perjoss]

Holy shit

[nitus10]

Not just in the US but here in Australia as well.

[uth11]

Yeah but that number will decline quickly.. you know, they way it kills off its players and all... /s

[BrandanT]

Pokemon definitely has a stronger and more lasting than miitomo. Miitomo was kinda boring in my opinion.

[WeAreLegion]

Good news for Nintendo's future. And I'm enjoying it when it loads.

[Fullmetalevolust]

Let Nintendo make that money so that it funds the NX proper, if that's how it works, lol. Not sure if the mobile division can fund console development.

[oof46]

All that money goes in the same place...the Scrooge McDuck vault. Cha-ching!

[wonderfulmonkeyman]

Nice to see. Here's hoping it keeps that up long-term.

[BlakHavoc]

This game has me walking long distances lol

[Austin48]

A iOS game yay who really cares.

[Tewi-Inaba]

apparently millions of people, hence the article?

[arkard]

It's on Android to.....

[BlakHavoc]

It's actually a fun game to play on the go. If you're out on a hike your phone will vibrate and tell you what Pokemon is near by. Also only Pokemon that are native to the area will pop up.

[Austin48]

So what games like this is gonna be what developers will focus on because it's easy to make and they make a lot of money so stop supporting this crap.

[mhunterjr]

It took the WiiU flopping for ninty to realize how much money they were leaving on the table by ignoring mobile phones...

Your market opportunity increases exponentially when you don't have to first sell a peice of hardware in order to sell a peice of software.

It crazy that it took this long to get a Pokemon game on mobile.

[Sciurus_vulgaris]

A 3D open world Pokemon game exclusive to the Wii U would of likely helped the system a fare amount . Pokemon is essentially a money magnet, has been successful for two decades, and will likely continue to be successful for many years to come.

[OtakuDJK1NG-Rory]

No it wouldnt.

[mhunterjr]

It probably would have helped the system... No doubt. But there are hundreds of millions of people who already have cell phones. It's a no brained to tap into that market. Then they can use the proceeds to make more and better games for their own handhelds and consoles.

Nintendo was so relectant to get into mobile, when they should've been using mobile to expand their audience. NOW there are people who haven't played Pokemon in a over decade, back in the hunt. NOW they have people who NEVER played Pokemon in the hunt. And NOW they have a way to market they're other products to people who otherwise would have ignored them.

This was a no brainer

[The 10th Rider]

Not as much as people say. Pokken Tournament was a fantastic Pokemon fighting game on consoles, it didn't work any wonders for Wii U.

Part of Pokemon's appeal is in it's convenience. Handheld games don't translate well directly to home consoles and vice versa. Typical pokemon gameplay on a console would probably get grindy and old real fast, so they'd definitely have to change things up.

[FlyingFoxy]

Boring game makes money.. Meh.

[Summons75]

How does that even happen? The game is overly generous with Items and Pokeballs, why would you even consider buying into microtransactions when just taking a 30 minutes walk can double all of your items.

[Tewi-Inaba]

because people are either lazy or have jobs.
kinda obvious there.

[Summons75]

If they are lazy they probably aren't playing the game is it's not very often Pokemon will come will you are standing still. I have a full time job and even before Pokemon Go I found time to take a 30 minute walk so that's no excuse either.

[wonderfulmonkeyman]

This might sound a little weird, but I think the fact that the game is NOT frustrating its players with hard-to-earn items, by making these already-purchaseable things easy to earn, might be one of the reasons why it's getting so many microtransaction sales.

Think about it; It stays generous with the items, and that makes players want to keep playing, whereas if it wasn't then the appeal would wear off more quickly because it would require more money.
Then they get used to that pace thanks to items being easy to earn, and they start playing it more frequently.
Then they start running low on the items due to playing more often and using them at a faster pace, and due to impatience, make one or two small microtransactions to speed things up.

Now just consider millions of people following that behavioral pattern; getting hooked by the generous nature of items when they start playing lightly, playing more often and going through said items more quickly after getting hooked, then buying the items that are normally free to regain that pace.

It's deviously simplistic, yet also terrifyingly clever.

[slate91]

All the keyboard warriors on n4g upset a game makes them go outside lol. Go figure.

[Lionalliance]

Pokemon is like an addiction lol, no one can't stop it

[franwex]

But yet Nintendo won't do a Pokémon MMO...OK...

[OtakuDJK1NG-Rory]

Not possible as of now.

[mwjw696]

BS there are tons of MMO's like pokemon where you collect cards or creatures to fight. Nintendo is just brain dead.

[OtakuDJK1NG-Rory]

So tell me how having possibly 6 Pokemon(If Sun & Moon extends the count to 800) on one player in a massive open world MMO running on the Wii U in HD is possible especially if they plan to have all 7 regions and tons of Pokemon, npc and towns rending at once.

[Relientk77]

Wow thats ridiculous

[gamerswin24]

Why is this surprising? Do you know why daily there are tons of f2p games on mobile phones? Many are hit or miss but many make money instantly. They are low investments with big returns. The likes of bejeweled, pokemon mobile, candy crush, minecraft mobile, jetpack joyride, etc are plentiful and all make money. Kim Kardashians game made a gagillion daily. Mobile gaming is a gold mine if your game catches on.

Downside is these games make money quickly but rarely have lasting appeal. Miitoo or whatever its called im sure is already dead. The same articles were written about it and its cash revenue for like two weeks.

[TROLLER123]

1.6 million+ a day and it doesnt have to last long. i bet a pokemon goes to europe(or a million other places) is being made now with a few changed names or colors , to keep the money rolling in.

[Deadpooled]

"Gagillion" hahaha I saw what you did there :D

[gamerswin24]

Lol

[SourtreeDing]

ill let you guys waste your money ill wait for the real pokemon games.. i aint wasting mytimeon this

[Sunny_D]

It's free fool lol. You don't have to buy anything.

[TheColbertinator]

More interested in Sun and Moon but glad Pokemon Go is doing good.

Next on the agenda is a Pokemon game on the NX. Pokken 2 or a return to Colosseum would be welcomed

[S2Killinit]

How can this be true. I just downloaded it on my phone nd it says 33000 people have downloaded the app. How do they purchase 1.6 million dollars a day?

[Sunny_D]

That's 33000 reviews not downloads.

[S2Killinit]

Oh i thought i read downloads

[MeteorPanda]

but...why. the games playable without.

oh. incense is for ppl who dont want to walk around...in america l bet theres a few of them XD

[Sunny_D]

Kind of still have to walk around In A general area though.

[MatrixxGT]

Yeah like the area between the kitchen and toilet.

[killerluffy123]

Rumor.....lol

[TROLLER123]

IT PRINTS MONEY !!1!1

[WheatBread]

itprintsmoney.jpg

[Kingoftherodeo]

nintendo once again showing sony how money is made, i would include m$ but they know how to make money

[Sunny_D]

Lol, stupid.

[jcnba28]

Well he's got a point does he not? Sony have tried mobile games in the past and none of them have been hits.

[theshredded]

Honestly they should go mobile and software only imo. Handheld gaming devices are dead but mobile gaming is booming...It's a great opportunity. A lot right now have heard of Nintendo but have not actually played their exclusives

[wonderfulmonkeyman]

Nah.
Believe it or not, even the low-selling Wii U made them profit already; the 3DS has been bringing in the cash for longer, and in bigger quantities.
It'd be stupid of them to give that up. Especially when having a system means they can get exclusives, like Bayonetta 2, that they can earn further profit from without having to share with another console maker.

[_-EDMIX-_]

@wonder- "Believe it or not, even the low-selling Wii U made them profit already"

You know of the billions they spent on R&D, marketing etc? Consider they are not just doing those things at no cost then rolling out a console. Its not about if it made profit or not, its actually about the cost it took to release in the first place, they still have to pay for that as its still an investment.

Nintendo right now is making less money then PSN alone....

"It'd be stupid of them to give that up" Why?

"Especially when having a system means they can get exclusives, like Bayonetta 2" How many Wii U's did that game move for Nintendo?

I'm sorry but I don't see anything in your post that shows they need to ever make a dedicated console again.

The goal is to make money, not merely get exclusives. Do you think that getting Bayonetta 2 as an exclusive is a bigger deal and better for them then the likely over 2 million they are making a day from Pokemon Go?

I mean...do you not get the entire point of business is to MAKE MONEY?

When you spend billions to market and develop something that ends up moving 12 million, you also lose money on the investment REGARDLESS of profit, as you are still spending money on teams to make titles you assumed would move huge units IF the install base existed.

They are making 2 million A DAY! (IF NOT MORE) from a title they didn't need to make a platform for....for a title that didn't cost them billions to market the platform.....

I'd rather make millions a day spending zero dollars on marketing a system, developing it, manufacturing it etc then spend BILLIONS to make a console, to NOT make that money every day.

What Wii U game is making Nintendo this type of money? What 3DS game is making Nintendo this type of money?

At this rate, if nothing changes they would have made something like $730 million in 1 year. ie more money then ALL OF NINTENDO COMBINED that they made last year by almost 2x....FROM 1 DAMN GAME!

What does that tell you about them likely going software only? I think they will still make a handheld, but I see them making more mobile games in the future as I don't see them just refusing to make real money.

"that they can earn further profit from without having to share with another console maker"

Yet they are making money off of mobile right now? Is money earned from another console something THAT different if you factor its merely just another install base JUST like mobile? Trust me bud, Nintendo has that in the cards if things don't go their way with NX, if NX is not already a device that will share its titles with other install bases.

Mind you, you are saying this in light of them ironically making a mobile game its is making them millions a day right now. You have no other REAL reasons why they should continue making something like Wii U as a dedicated console other then you wanting them to. You've yet to show any real reason other then a vague.."it'd be stupid of them to give that up". Why? Explain? Numbers? Examples? Anything? lol

[_-EDMIX-_]

@theshredded- I think they should continue to go mobile and more so into software as a 3rd party, but I still think they should make a handheld. They can have it both ways and I think they would be fine. Though handheld is shrinking as DS went from 160 million to 3DS with 50 million, they still have a large base that would still warrant a handheld.

I do see them going 3rd party as a company though as that money earned from Pokemon go sorta proves they were correct to seek sales from another install base.

I don't see them giving that up as it makes no sense, Wii U isn't not making them THIS kind of money so I don't see them doing a dedicated console again as suppose to a handheld hybrid.

[jcnba28]

Awesome news! Big hit for Nintendo!

[xMANB3ARP1G]

so now that they have proved the easiest ip they could of used to translate to a mobile type experience was underwhelming can ppl please stop bitching they want nintendo smart phone games you just dont want to buy a nintendo system thats all you want nintendo games support them buy the system as they cant pull a microsoft and say oh we wanna support our pcs and have a system be our secondary sales.

[R00bot]

This is underwhelming? Pokemon go is everywhere. I've NEVER seen a game catch on like this in my entire life. Wherever I look I see people playing it. It's amazing. This amount is only going to increase for the next few days at least as the app continues to launch in more different countries and the user base grows.

[MatrixxGT]

I live in a pretty big gated community. And since this game released, trying to drive into and out of said community looks like the next walking dead series but with phones. It's insane.

Hey, I give it props for getting people to leave the house I guess. It's just they aren't paying attention.

[_-EDMIX-_]

@xMAN- "can ppl please stop bitching they want nintendo smart phone games you just dont want to buy a nintendo system thats all you want nintendo games support them buy the system"

no.

If the people don't want to buy a platform to play those games, they have spoken with their wallets ie less sales for BOTH 3DS and Wii U then their previous entries. This company is losing its fans at a RAPID rate on their platforms as their competition with the casual market has increased. They are no longer the only players in the game on such concepts, they are in fact a smaller player then MOST of the top companies to make those concepts. THEY MUST go on mobile to compete. You can't FORCE your install base to buy your hardware. Even EA as one of the biggest publishers in the world can't get that type of pull on Origin, a free damn distribution platform. Basically you are mad the majority DON'T like Nintendo games ENOUGH to buy hardware solely for those games. Those days are over and Nintendo needs to adapt, I see no reason to get upset over such a thing, this is simply business. Hundreds of millions own smart phones, hundreds of millions DON'T OWN Wii U or 3DS.....

Sooooooo you want it to fail to release on a series of platforms that it would be doomed to make less money? What is making 2 million a day on Wii U or 3DS? Or did you not get the entire point about business? If this isn't an indication that Nintendo is likely going 3rd party ,I don't know what is.

@R00bot- 100% agreed.

Many don't want to wake up to the reality that business is about making money. Right now Nintendo is correct to continue this approach.

[battletrax]

Hundreds of millions of people don't own a smartphone. Billions do. Over 2 billion to be exact.

http://www.emarketer.com/Ar...

So the potential for profit is huge.
But I agree with most of what you said in your comment.

[_-EDMIX-_]

@battle- O_O I stand corrected.

That is a MASSIVE potential install base. An install base they don't even need to create hardware for, an install base they don't even need to Market a platform for.

Potential for profit is ridiculous

[DFresh]

I really like Pokemon: GO these numbers are well deserved. I'm waiting for the day that we have nerve gear (Sword Art Online) where a Pokemon game would be made to that level of fidelity, imagination and is all open world.

[Munnkyman]

This is of course going to help Nintendo's brand at the end of the day. Yes they are making tons of money but their are a lot of people playing this game that don't even know what pokemon is. This is what I believe they truly want.

[melonfarm3r]

itprintsmoney.jpg

[quent]

I've always thought a Pokemon MMO style game would be a cool idea, maybe with all the mobile success it could possibly happen.

[windblowsagain]

Wow people play some crap.lol