Even as gamers in several regions, including Asian countries like India, China, South Korea, Saudi Arabia etc., are anxiously waiting for the release of Niantic's popular game "Pokemon Go," Americans appear to have had enough of the game as its in-game purchases have dropped drastically last month.
The craze about "Pokemon Go" was almost dreamlike when it was first launched in a few countries on July 7, peaking at 25 million downloads on July 14. Mobile data intelligence firm Sensor Tower has claimed that 75 million downloads were recorded on Android and iOS platforms in just 19 days into its release. However, the decline in its popularity too started early. Several reports have claimed that users of the game have decreased drastically over time.
Now, digital commerce tracker Slice Intelligence has reported that "Pokemon Go" paying population in the U.S. has dropped by a staggering 79 percent in August. Data indicates that the game "introduced nearly two times as many in-game spenders to the mobile gaming market in the weeks following Pokémon GO's launch" but the "number of buyers in the mobile market has returned to pre-"Pokemon Go" levels."
It is obvious that "Pokemon Go" has passed its peak but it still makes most revenue, commanding a comfortable 28.4 percent share in the mobile game market, whereas its nearest competitor is Candy Crush Saga, which is at a distant 4.5 percent. Other games that have made it to the list are Candy Crush Soda Saga (3.5 percent), Game of War - Fire Age (2.9 percent), Mobile Strike (2.6 percent), Clash of Clans (2.5 percent), and Clash Royale (2.2 percent).
Meanwhile, Pokemon Go Hub has reported that "Pokemon Go" will come to Android wear, and the project called Pokemon Go Plus will make the game compatible to Android Watch and enable the device to communicate with Android smartphones via Bluetooth.
The game has got into trouble in several countries with Iran banning it and countries like Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam restricting gamers from playing it at select places. It is very unlikely to come to South Korea, as the game requires real-time geospatial technologies and Google's map data to play while the country restricts use of uncensored map data from overseas.
The release of the game in India too could be delayed as a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has been filed in the Gujarat high Court seeking a ban on the game claiming that it hurts the religious sentiments of certain communities. It stated that Go eggs were spotted in places of worship.
"Pokemon Go" is a free augmented reality (AR) mobile phone game that lets players catch virtual characters in real life environment.
