Pokemon Go 2019 sales were the game’s highest yet, according to a new report, earning the game an estimated $894 million. Its previous best year was its 2016 launch year, when it earned an estimated $832 million. The impressive sales number still only put Pokemon Go at number five in the list of top-grossing mobile apps worldwide, behind games like Candy Crush Saga at number four and Tencent’s Honor of Kings at number one.
The news comes from mobile game market analyst Sensor Tower, which said much of Pokemon Go’s 2019 success was likely due to the introduction of Team Rocket in July, after which the game had its two highest-grossing months since 2016. Pokemon Go had previously seen a major decrease in earnings in 2017, when it earned only an estimated $589 million. The game then earned an estimated $816 million in 2018, continuing to grow to its 2019 numbers. According to Sensor Tower, Pokemon Go has earned more than $3.1 billion since launch.
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In addition to the Team Rocket update, it’s possible that the release of both the Detective Pikachu movie and Pokemon Sword and Shield in 2019 helped bring mobile gamers’ attention back to the Pokemon franchise last year. If Game Freak’s Pokemon Sword and Shield expansions shape up well, that attention could continue to be held in 2020.
