As I’m sure we all expected it eventually would, the global phenomenon that is Pokemon GO has started to wind down in a big way.
In fact, the Augmented Reality mobile game has apparently already lost more than 15 million daily users since this time last month, according to Bloomberg published graphs from Axiom Capital Management.
Not to kick a Pokemon while it’s down, but it should also be pointed out that the chart only goes to August 18, so the number of daily active users could be even lower now (and probably is).
Axiom Capital ManagementIn addition, the charts – which cite mobile research company Apptopia – also paint a pretty bleak picture for overall engagement. The below chart shows that Pokemon GO engagement has decreased by more than 50 percent.
What’s more, Google searches for ‘Augmented Reality’ are now fewer and further between after a huge spike due to Pokemon GO’s launch – though as a search term it’s still more popular than it ever was before the game’s release.
Axiom Capital senior analyst Victor Anthony revealed that investors in companies such as Facebook and Snapchat have actually been kind of concerned about how Pokemon GO’s domination has been diverting attention away from other apps.
But now, Anthony claims investors can relax:
[Investors] have been concerned that this new user experience has been detracting from time spent on other mobile focused apps The declining trends should assuage investor concerns about the impact of Pokemon Go on time spent on the above named companies.
Pokemon GO took the world by storm when it finally launched. The app smashed records, generated bizarre stories, and spawned all manner of controversy.
Of course, it would be insane to expect developer Niantic to maintain the ridiculous momentum the game had on launch. Pokemon GO might be dropping off the radar, but I’m sure none of us will ever really forget it.
Ewan Moore is a journalist at UNILAD Gaming who still quite hasn’t gotten out of his mid 00’s emo phase. After graduating from the University of Portsmouth in 2015 with a BA in Journalism & Media Studies (thanks for asking), he went on to do some freelance words for various places, including Kotaku, Den of Geek, and TheSixthAxis, before landing a full time gig at UNILAD in 2016.