Tag: pokemon go

Pokemon Go Plus

Is Pokémon Go Plus a Practical Peripheral?

Younes

What is Pokémon Go Plus?

Pokémon Go Plus is an app peripheral that can be used as a companion for the Pokémon Go app. The peripheral is paired to a smartphone via Bluetooth LE . Some of Pokémon Go Plus features include:

 

  • You can wear the peripheral as a wristband or as a clip for your tie or lapel.
  • Light and vibration alert whenever a Pokémon is nearby. The peripheral eliminates the need for constantly checking your phone for the presence of a Pokémon.
  • You can throw a Poke Ball with just a press of the button. The peripheral would vibrate to indicate that your attempt was successful.
  • The peripheral will also notify you if there’s a PokeStop nearby. It is also possible to collect items like Poke Balls, berries and Pokémon eggs.

 

There’s a Demand but Is It Really Practical?

As one reviewer in GameStop stated, “The anticipation is unreal!” Even with the $34.99 price tag, it is sold out prior to its September 30 release date. But do the benefits of having this peripheral outweigh its shortcomings? Accept it, even if you’re a die-hard Pokémon fan, you still want to get what’s worth your money, right? Here are several issues that can undermine the need for an app peripheral like Pokémon Go Plus:

 

  1. Except for the purpose of convenience, it doesn’t really offer any new functionality which is the selling point of most standalone peripherals.
  2. And since Bluetooth is used, the paired smartphone should be within the range of the peripheral. Even with the one-time setup, Pokémon Go Plus can’t be truly considered a “standalone” peripheral since it can’t function without the app.
  3. The smartphone and the peripheral would vibrate at the same time whenever a Pokémon is nearby.
  4. You can only catch Pokémon species you already captured.
  5. You can’t control the throw of the Poke Balls. A lot of Pokemon Go users worry that the peripheral is just another way to burn through Poke Balls, facilitating more in-app purchases.
  6. Pokémon Go’s bugs and glitches would affect the peripheral’s performance.
  7. You may need to stake out more money to have one. The peripheral is no longer available for pre-order. A lot of people took advantage of this and started selling guaranteed deliveries ten times the original price. You may have wait longer to have one after all.
Pokemon GO Logo

Pokémon Go App Revenue

Younes

How Profitable is Pokémon Go?

 

The Pokémon Go app is said to be the biggest game app in US history, crushing records with app revenue double the industry average. But does it keep on getting better from there? Pokémon Go actually made $35 million in its first two weeks! Therefore, it seems like there is no stopping the Pokémon Go phenomenon but is the app here to stay or is it just another hype?

 

App Revenue and Key Performance Metrics

Acquisition

  • 4-5 million app installs a day
  • In the US alone, the app was downloaded more than 7.5 million times from both the Google Play store and iOS App Store.
  • Just two days after its release, Pokémon Go was installed on 5.16% of all Android devices in the US.

 

Engagement

  • On July 14, 2016, the app reached 26 million active users for both Android and iOS and as of July 18, 2016, it dropped to about 21 million active users.
  • As of July 8, 2016, average time in app (for Android) is 43 minutes and 23 seconds, considerably higher than social apps like WhatsApp (00:30:27), Instagram (00:25:16), Snapchat (00:22:53) and Messenger (00:12:44).

 

Retention

  • The app’s retention rate is double the industry average with about 7 out of 10 downloaders returning to the app the next day.
  • On its first week, about 60% of downloaders from the US use it daily.

 

 

Monetization

  • The app’s revenue is also double that of the average for casual games. Casual games average revenue per daily active user (ARPDAU) is only $0.10 while Pokémon Go reached $0.25 ARPDAU.
  • As of July 11, 2016, Pokémon Go is earning $1.6 million (for the iOS app only) a day.
  • Pokémon Go’s paid users are ten times that of Candy Crush’s.

 

Positive Contributors in Making Pokémon Go Stick

  1. Pokémon had been around for a decade – it’s not just a hype, it’s a cultural phenomenon. The app is just a new approach in targeting an established market. As long as there are Pokémon fans, the app will thrive.
  2. There’s much room for expansion. Pokémon Go can expand its content offerings relative to the Pokémon franchise. Right now, the app only features the original 150 Pokémons but there are about 570 other Pokémon as of Pokémon X/Y’s release and more to come with the release of Pokémon Sun and Moon.
  3. The app also has great monetization opportunities. This starts with the very premise of the game. The user either needs to spend a lot of time on the game to progress or purchase in-app items to bypass the process. Therefore, the app depends on the number of users and not on whales for effective monetization.

 

The massive success of Pokémon Go undeniably contributed to the boost in Nintendo shares (up to 24.52%). But an analyst believes that in order to contribute real impact to Nintendo’s profits, the app should earn a minimum of $140-196 million every month consistently.