Augmented reality sensation Pokémon Go has been downloaded from the App Store more times in its first week than any other app in Apple’s marketplace history. The feat was first reported by Polygon and has been confirmed by Apple, we’re told.
Although Apple did confirm the record, it failed to disclose exactly how many times it has been downloaded. The publication then reached out to Nintendo who directed the inquiry to The Pokémon Company. As of writing, Polygon hasn’t heard anything back.
Analytics firm Sensor Tower estimated earlier this week that Pokémon Go had already passed 30 million downloads. Others estimate that the game is bringing in anywhere from $1 million to $2.3 million in revenue each day and according to an App Annie analyst via Inverse, the game could pull in as much as a billion dollars annually once it is available worldwide and sever issues are mitigated.
Pokémon Go has been released in roughly 35 countries but one region it hadn’t hit until today is Japan, the second-most lucrative market for smartphone apps. Within two hours of its release, Bloomberg reports, dozens of people could be seen playing it near a Tokyo railway station.
It’s an incredible feat for all parties involved (Nintendo, The Pokémon Company and Niantic) and as Bob O’Donnell said last week, is a real watershed moment for augmented reality.
Lead image courtesy Kiyoshi Ota, Bloomberg
https://www.techspot.com/news/65696-pokmon-go-sets-new-app-store-record-most.html
