Look out world! Pokémon GO is on the upswing with the popular gaming app recording its best numbers since launch back in July 2016. Hipsters, grandmas, and bearded man-children will be soon storming your churches, neighborhoods, Starbucks, and local monuments all over again like it’s still the Obama years!
According to data firm Superdata, developer Niantic made $104 million throughout the month of May through Pokémon GO, up 174 percent compared to May from last year. The original report also listed that it hit an astounding 147 million players, the most since the game’s explosive launch two summers ago, but the report has since been amended to remove that figure.
Like a totally new game
I guess it’s time to admit that I’m one of those returning players to Pokémon GO. You can blame being around my mother back in the United States for that one. She’s become an encyclopedia of Pokémon over the last two years, and now every topic of conversation from her sounds like me back in the late 90s.
I’m also a Mr. Mime and a Mewtwo shy of catching the original 151…
However, I wouldn’t be playing the game if it was still in its original form. Niantic has done a great job rebuilding the core experience from the ground up, introducing new gym rules, field research objectives that act as daily quests, berry items that grant bonuses when catching Pokémon, gym badges, raid battles that let players catchPokémon GO legendary Pokémon, and even, just recently, the ability to make friends and trade your Pokémon with others.
Field research allows players to more easily collect legendary or rare Pokémon with the legendary Articuno rotating out this month for the two-decade fan-favorite Snorlax taking its place on July 7.
Nintendo is even getting the Switch involved with the announcements of Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Let’s Go, Eevee!, both of which will interact with Pokémon GO and will be released on the Nintendo Switch on Nov. 28.
If you thought this was a flash in the pan that died out because it wasn’t stealing headlines anymore, you’d be wrong. This is still a huge force to be reckoned with in the gaming world.
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