Just when it looked like things couldn’t get worse for Niantic after data suggested Pokémon Go’s daily player count has dipped in 2023, its monthly revenue in April has reportedly dropped to the lowest it’s been in five years, according to Mobilegamer.biz.
In their business report, released on May 3, Mobilegamer claimed the popular mobile’s revenue has been on a slide. In February, it generated $58 million, but dropped to $42.8 million in March and $34.7 million in April—the lowest it’s been since Feb. 2018. It still ranks as the 12th highest-grossing mobile title, but these numbers have to be alarming for Niantic, especially since the player count has seemingly dropped too.
Players have been at odds with Niantic and its decisions regarding Pokémon Go all year, especially after the company added a daily limit to Remote Raid Passes and increased their price, which rustled a lot of feathers.
It led to a massive strike, which undoubtedly played a part in the player dip and revenue hit. The community is pretty chuffed because it means their efforts weren’t in vain.
The game isn’t in the best state either, according to a lot of players, and that doesn’t help. The biggest issue, in their view, is it’s become a boring, repetitive snoozefest. They begged Niantic to give them more Pokémon to catch rather than recycling the same ones. They also called for better spawn rates, better events and seasons, and more.
It will be very interesting to see how Niantic deals with the situation.
Quite a few players—new faces and veterans alike—have already said they can’t see themselves returning, regardless of if Niantic improves things. Perhaps Pokémon Go is on the verge of running its course as Niantic’s main focus and the company will shift its attention to Monster Hunter Now once it releases in Sept. 2023.
