Pokemon Go Dev Disputes Claim About How Much Money The Game Is Making

While Pokemon Go is undoubtedly still a juggernaut on the mobile market, the game apparently did see a notable dip in revenue last month. The app reportedly raked in $34.7 million in April, its lowest total since February 2018. Developer Niantic reacted to the report and said it was “incorrect.”

These numbers come courtesy of Mobilegamer.biz in collaboration with Appmagic. The site added that Pokemon Go has seen quite the slide this year from February revenue ($58 million) to now.

The data is wrong, a spokesperson for Niantic told Eurogamer. Pokemon Go revenue has risen so far in 2023 compared to 2022. The company said it does not focus much on month-to-month revenue trends, though, because Pokemon Go’s financial success is tied to live events.

“We generally don’t comment on third-party estimates of our revenue as they are often incorrect, which is the case here,” a Niantic spokesperson said. “Our revenue so far in 2023 is up on last year. We don’t focus on month-to-month trends because they fluctuate based on major live events. This year’s changes have already increased in-person Raiding and we’re excited to introduce exciting new features over the coming months.”

The top-grossing games for April were also performing at much higher levels than Pokemon Go, which originally launched in 2016. Honor of Kings took the top spot with $102.9 million, followed by Genshin Impact with $87.8 million and Candy Crush Saga with $84.3 million. PUBG Mobile and Roblox rounded out the top five, with $77.8 million and $64.9 million, respectively.

Developer Niantic raised the prices of Pokemon Go Remote Raid Passes last month, on top of implementing a daily limit for them. Players can only participate in five each day. “Since their introduction in 2020, Remote Raid Passes have come to dominate the experience of playing Pokemon Go in a way we never intended,” Niantic said at the time.

Looking ahead, Pokemon Go Fest 2023 will take place in three different cities later this year. The event will be held in London and Osaka, Japan, from August 4-6 as well as New York City from August 18-20.