In early April, Niantic, the developer of Pokémon Go, implemented a controversial change to the game's Remote Raids feature. As a result, the game's profits experienced a significant monthly decline, dropping to $34.7 million in April from $42.8 million in March. This marked the lowest monthly earnings for Pokémon Go in over five years. However, the game seemed to recover in May, reentering the list of top 10 highest-earning mobile games. Unfortunately, specific figures have not been disclosed yet, but more information on the game's performance is expected to surface in the coming weeks.
Abraham Yousef from Sensor Tower mentioned, "Spend trends in May were slightly down (-2%) compared to April. Pokémon Go reentered the top 10 games in terms of consumer spending in May, despite the recent price increases on certain in-app purchases."
Following the negative earnings report in April, Niantic provided a rare public response, stating to Eurogamer that they do not "focus on month-to-month trends because they fluctuate based on major live events." In late April, tickets for Pokémon Go Fest's Global event went on sale, priced at $14.99 in the in-game shop. This year's Pokémon Go Fest will feature the debut of Diancie, a Mythical Pokémon that has not been available in any game for quite some time. It is plausible that ticket sales for the event contributed to increased spending in the game during May, but the exact impact remains uncertain.
Regardless, Niantic can likely find satisfaction in Pokémon Go's return to the top 10 highest-earning mobile games. Next month will mark the game's seventh anniversary, and Pokémon Go will commemorate the occasion with a Community Day Classic event centered around Squirtle. Given that Squirtle is the seventh Pokémon in the Pokédex, it seems like a fitting choice for the celebration!
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