As 2020 nears a close, it’s been a rough year for many businesses. Even major corporations that have been around for decades are feeling the crunch created by the economic downturn caused by the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic.
There are some industries that have not only been able to survive during the outbreak but have even managed to thrive. This has been witnessed in the world of Esports, where it’s possible to hold competitions remotely and therefore, not put competitors at risk of being infected with the virus.
Others in the gaming industry have managed to find ways to adapt and overcome the obstacles created by the pandemic. One such entity that is standing out in the crowd at a time when standing in a crowd isn’t permitted is Pokemon Go.
With over a month still to go in 2020, Pokemon Go has already delivered its biggest year to date in terms of earnings.
A Banner Year
Already, Pokemon Go has recorded 2020 sales receipts of $1 billion. Those totals made them No. 3 overall in the mobile gaming industry. It’s also a single-year record for the game.
The augmented reality (AR) mobile game was a smash hit when it debuted in 2016. Crowds of Pokemon go players could be seen stumbling through neighborhoods, mobile devices in the palm of their hand as they took part in the in-game competition. Pokemon Go utilizes mobile devices with GPS to locate, capture, train, and battle virtual creatures, called Pokemon, which appear as if they are in the player’s real-world location.
People lauded the game for its concept of adding physical activity to the lives of gamers and for actually getting them to leave their homes. Critics, though, complained that the sudden appearance of dozens of Pokemon Go players in the same public area could prove to be a nuisance and on certain occasions, a public safety concern.
It was one of the most used and profitable mobile apps in 2016. Pokemon Go was downloaded to more than 500 million devices worldwide by the end of that year. The company showed sales of $832 million in 2016. Until this year, that was the single-year record for Pokemon Go.
Adjusting For COVID-19
Niantic, the company responsible for the creation of Pokemon go, were quick on their feet when it came to responding to the COVID-19 outbreak. In late March, they implemented several changes to gameplay that took into account the fact that people wouldn’t be able to venture out of their home during COVID-19 lockdowns.
Select research tasks that wouldn’t be possible to be completed while at home were temporarily removed from gameplay. However, players who had already collected these tasks were still permitted to complete them and collect the accompanying rewards.
All in-game events were either delayed or outright canceled. Tasks that required walking were removed from the game or rewritten so that they could be accomplished without the walking element required.
A greater number of Pokemon were made to appear on shorter walks. As well, players were able to spend more gifts on each other and were also able to release mega-discounted bundles in the Pokemon Go game shop. The cost of $1 bundles was dropped to as little as a penny apiece.
These measures enabled the game creators to stabilize any potential for mass departure from the Pokemon Go community. However, an entirely different challenge facing those in charge of creating the game’s software was to find a way to grow the user base of a game that relied on physical activity and close contact with others in a time when social distancing was being mandated.
Any activity in the game requiring players to walk long distances, or to gather in abundance was eliminated from the program. They also removed the near-distance requirements built into the game to govern PvP battles.
Even the game’s slogan changed. What was once “Play Out In The World,” is now “Play Where You Are.”
Building A Future
Pokemon Go has garnered total sales of $4.2 billion since its 2016 launch. There are currently over 600 million downloads of the game around the globe. The advent of 5G technology is expected to cause another boon in Pokemon Go as it increases the quality of gameplay on a mobile device.
When you’ve found a way to conquer COVID, how could the future look anything but bright?
*Citations:
Header image: “pokemon go” by Paintimpact is licensed under CC BY 2.0
Second image: “Pokemon Go” by San Diego Shooter is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
