Is Pokémon Go shutting down?

Pokémon Go took the world by storm when it released in July 2016. It was an immediate hit for the franchise, and in the years since it has been played by millions across the globe, generating more than six billion dollars profit in the process.

The extraordinarily popular mobile title seems to be passing its gigantic late-2010s peak though. Its estimated daily player count is down, and there are reports its revenue has slumped to the lowest it’s been in five years—the latter of which Niantic refuted. Players quitting en masse over the Remote Raid Pass changes wouldn’t have helped, either. But it still has more than 80 million estimated players each month.

Given everything that’s happened, though, coupled with the fact Niantic is working on Monster Hunter Now—a new mobile title based on the Monster Hunter franchise—players fear Pokémon Go is on its way out and could be shutting down as soon as this year. But is there any truth to those fears, or is it nothing more than doom-and-gloom?

Is Pokémon Go shutting down?

There is nothing to suggest Pokémon Go will shut down anytime soon. It’s still an incredibly profitable and popular title despite recent backlash towards Niantic, so there’s no reason to do it. Even if there is some truth to the claims the numbers have dwindled a bit, it’s far from dead, so shutting it down wouldn’t make sense from a business standpoint.

Niantic has never said anything to even remotely suggest its end was near, either. In fact, it has said the opposite.

In a March 30 blog discussing the Remote Raid changes, the company said Pokémon Go is a “game we hope you enjoy long into the future.” This suggests it has a long-term plan and will continue to support it for years to come.

If players keep on quitting to the point where it’s totally dead someday, these plans could change, but shutting it down still seems like a stretch.

That’s because Niantic could take other measures to try and entice old Pokémon Go players to come back, and will likely do so before things ever hit rock bottom.