Pokémon Go players spent $23 million in one week during COVID-19 lockdown

Even though Pokémon Go was designed to be played outside, the game has generated a large profit during the coronavirus pandemic.

Between March 9 and 16, the game’s total profit reached $23 million worldwide, according to GoldenCasinoNews. That’s when most countries witnessed a general spread of the virus and started implementing lockdowns.

Weekly player spending increased by almost $10 million (around 70 percent) in that week, according to GoldenCasinoNews. The most significant part of that amount, $7.8 million, was generated in the U.S.

At the beginning of the year, weekly player spending was around $10 million. That number increased throughout the month, though. By the end of January, the amount jumped 48 percent, reaching $14.8 million.

February started higher than the previous month with players worldwide spending $17 million in the first week. But the value dropped to $13.3 million when March started.

Pokémon Go was launched in 2016. The game reached half a billion downloads and the overall player spending hit $832 million. Following a low point in 2017, Niantic has seen a yearly increase in profit over the last two years.

Last year turned out to be the best year for Pokémon Go since its release. The mobile game’s profits reached $894 million and it set a new record by surpassing one billion downloads. The most significant part of that amount (54 percent) was generated on Android devices.

Niantic adapted well to the lockdowns by implementing a Remote Raid Pass, making Pokémon appear more often near players regardless of location, adding Pokémon Battle leagues, and investing in limited-time events.

Pokémon Go was the sixth most-profitable free-to-play game in 2019 behind titles such as Fortnite, Dungeon Fighter Online, Honor of Kings, League of Legends, and Candy Crush Saga.