It’s been one year since Pokémon Go smashed mobile game records, hitting revenues of $600 million at an unprecedented rate of only 90 days. To celebrate, developer Niantic, Inc. and licensor The Pokémon Company International are hosting a number of real-world and in-game events.
Niantic reports that the game was downloaded over 750 million times since it launched on July 6, 2016, and according to market researcher App Annie, it generated a total of $950 million in revenue last year. It was a cultural phenomenon, and though its implementation of augmented reality is rudimentary, it educated more users than ever before on the potential of AR apps. The AR space has been heating up, with Apple being only the latest tech giant to enter the fray, and the mobile AR market is predicted to reach $60 billion in revenue by 2021.
Kicking off the Pokémon Go anniversary festivities is Niantic’s Solstice Event. From 1 p.m. PDT on June 13 to 1 p.m. PDT on June 20, Pokémon Go players will have increased chances to spot fire-type and ice-type Pokémon. They will also be able to earn extra experience points for in-game moves and purchase Lucky Eggs (an item that doubles the XP earned for a window of time) for half off in the store.
On June 19 at 10 a.m. PDT, tickets will also go on sale for Pokémon Go Fest, Niantic’s first real-world event, which will be held in Chicago. The studio has teased new group gameplay mechanics and updates to come, and it’s partnered with advertising agency Wieden+Kennedy London to drum up some hype.
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