Pokemon Go Way Down

According to this article, Pokemon Go daily users are down 96% from its peak last August. In order to revive the game, Niantic "plans gameplay tweaks, frequent player rewards, events that make it easier for higher level users to advance, as well as new features such as more creatures, trading, and perhaps, eventually, player vs. player mode. "

Go Pokemon Go

Scott's column this week on ICV2 looks at ways stores are using the Pokemon Go phenomena to get customers. 

The Background of Pokemon Go

Amazing how Pokemon Go has gotten millions of people outside to walk millions of miles and interact with millions of strangers.

 Niantic Labs, the spin-off from Google nee Alphabet, first built their Ingress game based on the Android system with the idea that groups playing the game would use GPS co-ordinates and Google Maps to converge on public spaces and battle for control of them. Millions of players attracted the attention of Nintendo and the Pokemon Company Group, who approached Niantic with the proposal to take Ingress and layer a Pokemon skin on top of it.

The game is generating $1.8 million per day for the two companies, since,while you can play Pokemon Go for free, in-game apps such as lures and incense cost pokecoins, which you have to purchase for real dollars and enough people are willing to do so that Nintendo's stock price has increased 8 to 25%, depending on who you talk to, since the game released last week.