Pokemon GO set a new profit record in 2019, generating an estimated $894 million in gross player spending. Developed by Niantic, the popular mobile game previously had its highest-earning year in 2016, the year of its release.

While Pokemon GO has remained one of the most popular mobile games for the last three years, its profits took a noticeable dip in 2017. Due in large part to a lack of new content, many players abandoned the game, resulting in a revenue drop of 29%. The game earned a still-impressive $589 million that year, but it wasn’t enough to throw off the perception that Pokemon GO’s overnight success in 2016 was just a flash in the pan. Since then, Niantic has doubled down on delivering fresh content on a regular basis, to the point where the original version that launched in 2016 looks comparatively barren compared to the feature-rich experience that exists today.

After a major rebound in 2018, Pokemon GO reached new revenue heights in 2019. According to estimates from Sensor Tower Store Intelligence, the game’s revenue growth can be at least partially attributed to Team Rocket. When the infamous franchise antagonists were added to the game at the end of July, it sparked revenues of $116 million in August and $126 million in September. For context, Pokemon GO hadn’t seen revenues of that size since its first year on the market, when it generated $256 million in July, $195 million in August, and $141 million in September.

Although Pokemon GO hit record revenues last year, it still wasn’t quite the hottest mobile game on the market. Pokemon GO was fifth in total earnings for 2019, with Tencent’s Honor of Kings taking the top spot with close to $1.5 billion in revenue. Interestingly, GO continues to be a favorite among Android users. While many of the top mobile games tend to gross more on iOS, Pokemon GO earns the majority of its revenue on Android. Google Play generated 54 percent of the game’s 2019 revenue ($482 million), while Apple’s App Store brought in 46 percent or $412 million.

It’s difficult to say how Pokemon GO will fare in 2020 but it should still be a strong year for the mobile game. Just this week, Niantic added the Legendary Lava Dome Pokemon Heatran to five-star Raids for players to catch, while a Community Day dedicated to the adorable Piplup is set for Sunday, January 19. It’s widely expected that Generation VI Pokemon will be added at some point in 2020 and there’s always the possibility that Niantic will add some sort of integration with Pokemon Sun and Shield on Nintendo Switch. Whatever the future holds for Pokemon GO, at least players now have proof the game is still going strong to show all the haters.

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Source: Sensor Tower