Despite all of the controversy surrounding Pokémon Sword and Shield prior to launch last year, the series has once again proven itself somewhat immune to criticism. We already learned before, of course, that the Switch exclusives have fast become some of the best-selling games not just for the hardware, but the overall Pokémon franchise, and the fairy tale doesn’t end there, either.
In its latest financial report, The Pokémon Company confirms that 2019 was the second-most financially successful yet for the Japanese institution, recording net profits of 15.367 billion yen ($143 million USD) during the 2019/20 fiscal year. As noted by industry analyst Daniel Ahmad over on Twitter, the figures represent year-on-year growth of almost 15%, with Pokémon Go continuing to contribute a substantial sum to that total.
As depicted by the graph below, in fact, Niantic’s incredibly popular mobile title has led to an explosive growth in profits since it launched back in 2017, with that year still the one to beat in terms of gross annual revenue.
The question now, then, is whether The Pokémon Company can expect to see those already-impressive numbers rise in the years ahead. With two large DLC expansions – Isle of Armor and Crown Tundra – due out in the summer and fall of this year respectively, Sword and Shield still have plenty of adventures to give. Beyond that, rumors of potential remakes for Gen IV games Diamond & Pearl could well prove to be the perfect catalyst for even greater profits. We’ll just have to wait and see on that front, though.
As for Pokémon Go, you can find out all about the changes Niantic has recently made to account for COVID-19, as well as first details for a virtual global event due to kick off later in the summer by heading through here. And as always, we wish you the best of luck on your quest to Catch ‘Em All!
