(Agency N+1 / Luis Wong) From that Pokémon Go out to the market at the beginning of July 2016, the question that all the analysts and consumers have been made it is, how long shall the interest for the game? In the industry of mobile games, this doubt can be solved using the tools of analysis to measure acquisition, retention and monetization of the game over time. The numbers indicate that, while it has moved away considerably from the peaks of his best, Pokémon Go still remains as one of the most important games of the moment.
The industry of mobile games has as main business model is the ‘free-to-play’. The games are offered free of charge and in return the users must observe advertisements (static or video), or receive offers micro-transactions to progress faster in the game. This system has been perfected in the last five years and today it is almost a science. A full team of analysts, experts in data science, game design, and economies virtual will specialize in improving the performance of each game and work on the side of the programmers and artists to launch each new update. That has been the reason why games like Clash of Clans, Clash Royale, or Candy Crash seem to be made from a lab. Let’s evaluate the gameplay from Niantic:
Acquisition. An important variable to know how a mobile game is the level of acquisition, which refers to the number and frequency of downloads. According to the international consulting firm Newzoo, Pokémon Go had a peak daily downloads at the end of July, when more than 27 million people downloaded the game every day. More than 130 million people downloaded the app during the first month after its launch, making the game with more downloads in a month of all-time.
nearly four months from reaching the market, the numbers have decreased, and about 700 thousand people download the game every day. However, this number is still spectacular: the game is still in the top 25 of the top games downloaded in the digital stores of Apple and Google of major countries of the world. More than 500 million people have downloaded the game, the same number as Candy Crush Saga reached after a year. This number could go up again if Pokémon Go is launched in China, the largest mobile market, and once the application is launched for the Apple Watch, as it was announced a few weeks ago at the annual event of Apple.
Retention. The second metric is the level of retention. Players can download the app and have it installed but the goal of the development team is also to play frequently. To do this, indicators have to be used as the amount of daily active users (DAU) or monthly active users (MAU), as well as the number of active users concurrent (CCU). In that sense, Pokémon Go outperforms most of its competitors, having a DAU 20 million players and at their best at the end of July, close to 50 million players concurrent.
however, the numbers also indicate that unlike Clash of Clans, one of the mobile games of recent times, which loses less than a million players a week, Pokémon Go lost nearly 4 million per week. The statistic is a wake-up call to the development team, but taking into account future updates that are planned, this figure should be reduced when they offer new content.
Monetization. the third factor is the monetization. After acquiring users and keep them playing, the next step is to think about how to generate profits. In this aspect, Pokémon Go also disappointed, generating more than $ 16 million per day (after the costs of the sales channel) at the end of July. Doing a comparison, it is known through a leak in February 2014 that Clash of Clans generated a little more than $ 5 million in those moments, and that Monument Valley, one of the premium games mobile are of more relevance in the recent times, generated about $ 15 million in two years.
Pokémon Go became an unprecedented case in the mobile stores. Today, the daily income has fallen to a little more than $ 2 million a day, staying in the top 10 of the global applications that more of the money generated in all the countries where it has been launched. In addition, it is estimated that earnings per user (ARPU) is around 1 dollar, which while it’s a great number is still well below that of other mobile games like Clash of Clans or Mobile Strike, becoming an opportunity for improvement that the development team can use to increase profits with the existing user base through new mechanics and opportunities to purchase within the game.
The future. The numbers of Pokémon Go are down from his best time at the end of July. However, continue to be outstanding, taking into account that it will offer new features in the future, as the possibility of exchanging pokemones with friends, fight against other trainers and partner with them to confront more powerful enemies or to participate in special events. In addition, it is expected that the launch in China will mark a new milestone in the history of the game, since it represents the largest mobile market in the present day.
Tajia Kanerva, principal analyst of the signature Game Refinery, a company analysis of the market of video games, he also says that the game still has quite a field to explore, especially with respect to retention and to monetization. "Events that are recurring (for example, weekly) or not recurring (single or that happen from time to time) in the game can increase revenues, retention of players and improve the interest for the game", he says, from the experience and the data that other mobile games have been thrown. The numbers and the analysis are clear, however, that Pokémon Go you will still be in force for a long time.
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