Despite the universal acceptance, both from Trainers and Niantic employee alike, that last weekend’s Pokemon GO Fest turned out to be a total bust for everyone involved, it’s not all bad news. Not for Niantic, at least.
Revenue figures recently released by mobile app analytics website SensorTower (via ComicBook.com) certainly support the notion that there’s no such thing as bad publicity, as the title recorded its most profitable day since launch on July 23, just one day following the now-infamous fan festival, raking in roughly $5.8 million before the day was out. The surge in revenue is obviously thanks, in no small part, to the arrival of legendary beasts to Pokemon GO‘s augmented reality world, two of which made their debut at the ill-fated event just a day prior.
Both Lugia and Articuno are bursting forth from eggs all over the globe as you read these very words, and given that they require Raid Passes to be fought and subsequently captured, it comes as no surprise that obscene amounts of cash are currently flowing into Niantic’s coffers.
All players receive one free Raid Pass a day just for logging in, with more sold through the in-game store at $1 a pop. Given their rarity and time-limited nature, though, it’s only natural that Trainers would want to stock up on PokeBalls and Passes to give themselves the best odds at securing such a lucrative catch.
With Moltres and Zapdos confirmed to be arriving over the next few weeks, I can only imagine those numbers will continue to spike as a result. In regards to the likes of Ho-Oh and Mewtwo – both of which appeared in last week’s trailer – Niantic has yet to set a date for either, although the former could well be making its debut in Japan at a special event. Stay tuned for more.
