'Pokemon Go' Reaches 800 Million Downloads

'Pokemon Go' Reaches 800 Million Downloads


Pokemon Company's president Tsunekazu Ishihara announced Tuesday at a Tokyo press conference that their hit mobile game "Pokemon Go" has been downloaded 800 million times.

The free-to-play game has been a runaway hit since its release in summer of 2016. The 800 million figure hints that the game shows no sign of slowing down any time soon, as it's a rapid increase from the 650 million downloads announced at the Game Developers Conference in March.

"Pokemon Go" has made the Pokemon Company an impressive amount of money through micro-transactions. According to Newzoo, the mobile game earned $470 million USD in the first 80 days after launch. The title is free to download and play on iOS and Android, but players have the option to buy in-game currency to purchase accessories, like Pokeballs and Lures, with their real-world dollars.



The news comes just after the reveal of two new "Pokemon Let's Go" titles coming to Switch. "Pokemon: Let's Go, Pikachu!" and "Pokemon: Let's Go, Eevee!" are coming in November. The games are based on the popular 90s Gameboy title "Pokemon Yellow: Special Pikachu Edition." A free-to-start Pokemon game, "Pokemon Quest," hit the Switch last night as well.

Earlier in May, "Pokemon Go" developer Niantic Labs announced they intend to create an augmented reality map of public spaces using the help of players and startup Escher Reality. Niantic Labs is also currently working on a new AR title based on the world of Harry Potter called "Harry Potter: Wizards Unite."

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