Pokémon Go app rakes in $160M

By now, there is no doubt about the commercial success achieved by Pokémon Go. If we are to concretize this, it would be US$160 million in terms of revenue.

Based on data from Sensor Tower, that $160 million figure is from in-app sales alone when the app is not even up and running in many parts of the world yet, The Next Web reports.

The app’s popularity in Japan has taken a negative turn with an influx of two-star reviews. And yet, Pokémon continues to generate revenues and seems unfazed by the negative feedback from the land where Pokémon originated.

Part of the negative response comes from the game’s most recent updates where several Pokémon had their stats changed after being caught in a number of unresolved bugs.

The app keeps chugging along and will likely have players keeping on playing.  Alfred Bayle

source: technology.inquirer.net

‘Pokemon Go’ doubles Nintendo’s stock price and market cap

TOKYO — The stock price of Japanese game maker Nintendo Co. has more than doubled since the launch of the wildly popular augmented reality game “Pokemon Go” on July 6.

Nintendo rose 14 percent in heavy trading Tuesday on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, closing at 31,700 yen ($300).

The Kyoto-based company accounted for nearly one in four shares that changed hands on the TSE’s main board. The sharp rise has doubled its market capitalization to 4.5 trillion yen ($42.4 billion).

“Pokemon Go,” a smartphone app that uses Google Maps to overlay reality with Pokemon creatures, was developed by Niantic, a Google spinoff that Nintendo invested in last year. The game has yet to be released in Japan and the rest of Asia. TVJ

source: business.inquirer.net

WATCH: TRNDLabs creates Pokédrone to make catching pokémon easier

When a Redditer tied his smartphone to a drone so he would be spared from walking around to catch pokémon, the internet called it cheating. But now a company wants to make it a legitimate option with what they call a Pokédrone.

Created by TRNDLabs, the Pokédrone is a miniature drone that is equipped with a camera and GPS technology. It is tied to a custom controller that also acts as a dock that connects to the user’s smartphone via WiFi, reports Tech.Co.

It can hover in one place and has auto take-off as well as landing capabilities to make it easier for those without drone-piloting skills.

Pokédrone may not be hitting the market any time soon, however. The use of “Poké” requires a license agreement with the Pokémon Company. The idea may be accepted as a necessary innovation, but such a device at the user’s disposal takes away a bit of the “Go” part in Pokémon Go, some observers say.

Players have been stepping out and meeting new people, thanks to the the nature of the game. But with a Pokédrone, they will have the option of avoiding social interactions and the social phenomenon that Pokémon Go has created will have been undone.  Alfred Bayle”

source: technology.inquirer.net

Pokemon Go players flock to Jakarta stadium

Members of the Pokemon Go Indonesia community flocked Bung Karno Stadium in South Jakarta at 7 a.m. on Sunday to catch Pokemon species.

From the stadium, they marched to the fX Senayan shopping mall bus stop and headed to Semanggi city park, then returned to the stadium to catch the species, said to include Doduo, Bulbasaur, Horsea and Pikachu, among others.

The community spokesperson Sulhan told The Jakarta Post that the stadium hosted many PokeStops, as did gyms. The former is a spot where players can get free items such as a Pokeball (a ball to catch and restore the species), while the latter is where players can train their Pokemon species and put them in battle. The stadium got even more crowded when players used Lure Module to attract more Pokemon species. “And more PokeStops are available outside [the stadium],” he said.

Sulhan said that they intentionally chose spots where PokeStop and gyms were located somewhat far from one other so that the players would need to walk to reach them. “It is better to move than just stay at the same spot,” he added.

Aside from catching Pokemon species while burning calories, this very first gathering of Pokemon Go Indonesia aims to increase engagement between its members.

“I can meet new people and gain new friends,” said one member, Ibnu. “It proves that Pokemon Go players are cohesive, although we come from different teams.”

source: technology.inquirer.net

Sponsored locations soon in Pokémon Go

While storeowners are dropping pokémon lures to increase traffic to their respective businesses, Niantic is talking about adding a new revenue stream for the company in the form of “sponsored locations.”

According to a report on Tech Crunch, Ninatic CEO John Hanke said that in addition to in-app purchases of power-ups and virtual items, sponsored locations will provide another option for revenue generation. Companies and retailers would be given opportunity to be featured on the game’s map as a local landmark.

This same revenue model was also implemented in Ninatic’s other augmented reality game, Ingress. Some of the companies that invested in this include convenience store chain Lawson and Tokyo Mitsubishi Bank in Japan, as well the Jamba Juice café chain, Duance Raede pharmacy and Zipcar car-rental service.

Advertisers will be charged on a “cost per visit” basis similar to how Google charges on the “cost per click” model.  Alfred Bayle

source: technology.inquirer.net

Pokémon Go offers small-business opportunities

While drivers offer their service to drive budding pokémon trainers around for a hefty sum, small shop owners could also get a slice of the Pokémon Go craze.

An article in Business Insider offers a few suggestions for taking advantage of how the game is played.

The game generally picks out local landmarks around the player and turns them into either Pokéstops or Pokémon Gyms. These could be historical landmarks, tourist spots, houses, churches and even establishments. Shop owners can take advantage of this by setting down pokémon lures and watch the pokémon hunters trickle in.

One pizzeria owner commented on Reddit threads that putting down a lure has given his business a boost with the influx of adults and children walking in to look for pokémon. The adults ended up buying a slice of pizza and a drink until the pokémon lure ran out.

If near a Pokémon Gym, establishments could do giveaways of custom Gym badges, keep score of who’s currently in control, and take to social media to publicize updates on the Gym’s current status.

Finally, entrepreneurs could simply follow where the pokémon roams, in this case places near Pokéstops and plant a lure. One could open up a small refreshment stall, sell some trinkets, and whatever else business-minded folk can think of provided it’s legal and the proper paperwork has been done.

Pokémon Go is taking the world by storm and there is little sign of it dying down any time soon. Whether entrepreneurs can capitalize on this or not is entirely up to what their business instincts tell them.  Alfred Bayle

source: technology.inquirer.net

Drone does the walking for this Pokémon Go player

While everyone is running around chasing after virtual pokémon on their smartphones, one prospective pokémon trainer thought of strapping his smartphone to a drone and let it do the leg work for him.

According to a report on The Verge, reddit user hyperion995 used a DJI Phantom drone while mirroring his smartphone’s screen on a laptop using a program called AirDroid. This program allows users to remotely access their android device from a paired Windows or Mac computer system.

While many would consider this as outright cheating, it is an undeniably clever solution to a common dilemma. The Pokémon Go app generally does not count the distance traveled when riding vehicles toward the hatching of a pokémon egg in an incubator.

The drone, however, can fly slowly enough to simulate the speed of walking, thereby tricking the app. Team Rocket would be so proud of this man.  Alfred Bayle

source: technology.inquirer.net

Pokémon Go to let players swap pokémon soon

Addicted players of the viral smartphone game Pokémon Go can expect more reforms and exciting twists, such as allowing them to trade pokémons with each other.

In a report by Tech Insider, Niantic CEO John Hanke said that players could soon trade monsters to encourage them to cooperate in both virtual and real worlds.

“It’s kind of a core element,” Hanke said.

Also, Hanke divulged that virtual Pokémon Go “trainers”  would soon experience more ways to use Pokéstops and Gyms, which are landmarks designed for item restock.

Hanke also revealed that Pokémon Go would soon showcase a “global leadership scoreboard” that tallies all the world’s “valedictorian” and “salutatorian” players of the game. This will come side by side with the launch of Pokémon Go on other augmented reality (AR) devices, such as wearable gadgets.

“That may be a fun thing to take advantage of,” Hanke told the news site.

Pokémon Go aced both iOS and Android platforms despite its launch in a few ‘”favored” countries including Australia, the US and New Zealand.  Gianna Francesca Catolico

source: technology.inquirer.net