Pokemon Go witnessed the rarest success and fan following with players roaming the streets and going places to catch the virtual characters. This obsession with the game got Pokemon Go the Best Mobile Game Award at DICE. Now, many believe that the fad around the game is ending. However, if Niantic CEO John Hanke is to be believed, then the game is as strong as it was last year.
Pokemon Go is the top grossing gaming app
Hanke seems to be quite upbeat about the game, as he talked about adding new Pokemon characters and floating the newer version of the game (the next level). Hanke told the Associated Press that if someone thinks that the game is a thing of past, they should check their data and take a look at the top-grossing apps on Google Play and iOS.
According to Slice, Pokemon Go earned 86% more than Candy Crush Saga, the second best-performing mobile game in 2016. The virtual reality game garnered 11% of mobile game sales. It must be noted that players spent the least amount of money for in-app purchases compared to any other competitor in the year 2016. On average, a player spent about $32 a year on Pokemon Go, compared to $336 on games like Game of War: Fire Age.
Players, however, have a couple of common issues that they want to be resolved. Further, there were many who complained about the sudden flood of players who loiter around parks, and they want gaming companies to pay a fee in order to maintain the park.
In response to such complaints, Hanke said, “In certain places, there were a few complaints about littering, but I chalk that up to this being a brand new consumer experience that nobody had any knowledge about how to prepare for in the past.”
Updates to the game keep up interest
One factor that has helped the game maintain its popularity is the regular updates. A recent update included the Pokemon Celebration event, during which players could catch the festive Pikachus. The update, which went live on February 26, has ended now.
The developer team is already throwing up hints that something new and exciting is lined up. Two most awaited features, which the fans are hoping Niantic to improve upon is trading and gym battling. However, Niantic believes that trading feature would not be very feasible for the game. Also, there is no information on what’s coming on the gym battling front, keeping the excitement level of the players high.
