Has Pokemon Go Already Plateaued?

Sure, Apple may have named the Pokemon Go mobile game as the most downloaded app in its first week ever in the App Store, taking in about $1.6 million on iOS alone on a daily basis. However, according to a new report that surfaced this week, it appears that the phenomenally successful augmented reality game’s user base may have already plateaued. As reported by Slice Intelligence, Pokemon Go’s paying users peaked right during the middle of this month when the app had 56 percent more paying players compared to all other games combined. It is truly quite an achievement, but since July 15th, Pokemon Go’s paying players has decreased by 32 percent.

When purchasing PokeCoins while playing Pokemon Go, players have to spend real cash. Upon acquiring PokeCoins, players can then used them to buy items to be used in the app, like PokeBalls, Lure Modules, Lucky Eggs, and Incense, among many others. As of July 15th, purchases of PokeCoins made up 52 percent of the whole mobile gaming market’s total earnings, easily elevating Pokemon Go as one of the best revenue generating mobile game in history. Such was the expansive reach and appeal of the app. 

Inevitably, any mobile game’s success has to reach a certain limit at some point. In other words, not everybody is immune to the law of diminishing returns, even for an app as massively popular as the Pokemon Go game. Still, the makers of Pokemon Go can take comfort in the fact that compared to any other mobile game out there, Pokemon Go has held out the longest. For comparison, take a look at the Clash Royale mobile game whose paying players plateaued in just four days after release. As for Pokemon Go, it lasted a whole week before it reached its ceiling.

Moreover, Slice Intelligence’s report shows that the Pokemon Game app has a really impressive volume of repeat buyers, more than other mobile games. 50 percent of paying players who purchased an item in the augmented reality game during its first week returned the following week, and then spent $20 each on average. Clash Royale, a pretty successful game in its own right, only had 39 percent of its paying players come back to purchase again.

Speaking of spending, 2016 was looking to be a so-so year when it came to spending for mobile games. But the Pokemon Go game was able to tap into a user base that was not that into spending money for mobile games. As a matter of fact, more than 40 percent of those who spent cash in Pokemon Go had not made any other purchase in a mobile game all year.

In gathering information for its report, Slice Intelligence looked into e-receipts, including those that reference in-app purchases on Apple’s iTunes and on Google Play. For its latest report, the analytics company examined the receipt data from more than 237,400 players.