25% de my timeline ne parle que du pokemon Go
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Published: July 11, 2016 3:05 p.m. ET
Pokémon Go was the top grossing app in the U.S. in less than a day after its launch
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Pokémon Go is the No. 1 mobile app in the U.S., and the craze is showing big potential for Nintendo to rake in the dough.
The app itself is free on Apple Inc.’s AAPL, +0.55% Google’s app stores, but as players progress in the game, in-app purchases should start to look more enticing.
“As users build their Pokémon inventory, spending money becomes needed to store, train, hatch and battle,” wrote Macquarie analyst David Gibson in a note to clients in Australia, where the app is ranked No. 2.
Check out: Pokémon Go creates frenzy, but other Nintendo games will be even bigger
Enter PokéCoins, the in-game currency of Pokémon Go. Players need these coins to buy useful items, such as Poké Balls, which are needed to actually “catch” Pokémon, and for inventory upgrades. There are ways to earn coins within the flow of the game, but the quickest way is to shell out the cash. Users can pay anywhere from 99 cents for 100 PokéCoins to $99.99 for 14,500 coins.
Pokémon Go
The Pokémon Go app has been wildly popular in the less than one full week since its launch. People are spending more than 10 minutes a day longer on Pokémon Go than on WhatsApp, Instagram and Snapchat, according to website traffic statistic site Similar Web. And the app is approaching Twitter Inc. TWTR, -2.05% territory for number of daily active users.
Read also: Pokémon Go is proving more addictive than Tinder and Snapchat
It took less than a day from its launch for Pokémon Go to become the most downloaded and top grossing app in the U.S., Australia and New Zealand, according to App Annie, which tracks market data for mobile apps.
It’s not clear just how much money is going to Nintendo Co. NTDOY, +33.62% 7974, +12.73% , which has struggled as mobile gaming has gained popularity. The fervor has helped its shares gain more the 52% since the mobile game launched. Pokémon Go is a joint project between The Pokémon Company, which is 32%-owned by Nintendo, and Alphabet Inc. GOOGL, +1.31% spinoff, Niantic Inc.
Also see: Pokémon-chasing investors send Nintendo shares soaring
Worldwide revenue for in-app purchases is expected to hit $58.2 billion this year and rocket to $76.5 billion in 2017, according to data gathered by Statista.
“I can easily envision a run-rate of over $1 billion per year with less server issues, a worldwide presence and more social and PvP features,” said Fabien Pierre-Nicolas, vice president of marketing communications at App Annie, in a statement.
Pokémon Go, while dipping into users’ wallets, has also been sending people outside to explore the neighborhood, and in some cases even stumble upon interesting or historical real-world places.
“We like it, makes us want to explore our local world, exercise and learn new things about our neighborhood,” Macquarie’s Gibson wrote.
Don’t miss: Not all fun and games: Pokémon Go leads to robberies, dead bodies
It has also taken users to stores and local businesses to catch Pokémon and interact with the game, leading some to consider the advertising potential. Businesses could pay Niantic and The Pokémon Company to categorize their location as a specific designation or even to house specific, or rare Pokémon.
Mar 12 Juil 2016 - 8:54
