Pokemon GO Downloaded over 650 Million Times
The famous augmented-reality smartphone game Pokemon GO hit 650 million downloads, according to Niantic Labs. While the number is impressive, it still marks a significant drop compared to the game’s first two months. Niantic plan to keep the game fresh by adding a steady stream of new content.
During the Google Developer Day 2017 Conference Niantic Labs announced that Pokemon GO has surpassed 650 million downloads. The initial brouhaha surrounding the app could almost match the one from the original Pokemon from the nineties. If that stat isn’t impressive enough, trainers have walked a total of 8.7 billion kilometers (about 5.4 billion miles). Yes, billion with a “B”. That’s a billion kilometers more than the distance between Earth and Pluto at its furthest. However, it remains to be seen whether or not Pokemon GO will end up being just a flash in the pan.
During the first two months, the game was downloaded an amazing 500 million times. Compared to that, another 150 million in about six months seems far less impressive. This isn’t to say that 150 million is anything to sniff at, far from it. However, the player base also dropped significantly, especially after winter came along to the norther hemisphere. Only people that genuinely enjoy playing the game seem to have stuck around after the initial explosion.
Fortunately, Niantic have no intention to let the game fend for itself. According to Phil Keslin, chief technology officer at Niantic, they will keep providing a steady stream of content updates in order to keep the game new, interesting and exciting. And they sure are delivering. The new Gen 2 update to Pokemon GO added a huge amount of new things, including over 80 new Pokemon to catch. Coupled with the warmer weather on the horizon, we can expect an uptake in the player base, both from new and returning trainers. It sure got me playing again after a long winter break.
One of the things keeping a constant interest in Pokemon GO are the periodical events and celebrations. The newest is the Pokemon Day Celebration, where trainers can catch a limited-edition Pikachu with a party hat.
