Pokemon Game Adds $7.5 Billion To Nintendo Market Value In Two Days (reuters.com)

Who would have thought that Nintendo will ever make a strong return to the market... especially with an app that is not designed for company's signature hardware. But that is exactly what has happened. Shares in Nintendo soared again on Monday, according to a report on Reuters, bringing market-value gains to $7.5 billion in just two days as investors cheered the runaway success of Pokemon Go, the company's first long-awaited title in mobile gaming. From the report: The game, which marries a classic 20-year old franchise with augmented reality, allows players to walk around real-life neighbourhoods while seeking virtual Pokemon game characters on their smartphone screens - a scavenger hunt that has earned enthusiastic early reviews. In the United States, by July 8 -- two days after its release -- it was installed on more than 5 percent of Android devices in the country, according to web analytics firm SimilarWeb. It is now on more Android phones than dating app Tinder and its rate of daily active users was neck and neck with social network Twitter, the analytics firm said. The game is also being played an average of 43 minutes a day, more time spent than on WhatsApp or Instagram, it added. Update: 07/11 11:03 GMT by M :A report on Quartz states that Pokemon Go has added nearly 11 billion USD to the value of Nintendo since its release.

Comments

How long will it last though?

[XxtraLarGe]

Seems more likely to be a fad, especially when things like this happen. How many people are going to get mugged trying to catch 'em all?

Re:How long will it last though?

[ranton]

This game only has potential if Nintendo makes an actual game out of it. As it stands this is the worst Pokemon game I have seen, but with a great gimmick which helped make it go viral (along with brand recognition). I downloaded it and played for a couple days, until I found out what the game play was actually like after level 5 (which only takes an hour or so to get to). The novelty wore off right about then.

This is an amazing example of how Augmented Reality will create a whole new segment of gaming. But as an actual game Pokemon Go is horrible. It does make me hopeful for the games we will start seeing in the very near future, and Nintendo will likely be at the forefront of those games. But I doubt this game will have much staying power once Augmented Reality games with actual game play come out. If that doesn't happen for a year or more then Pokemon Go will probably stay strong until then.

Play Pokemon, get robbed at gunpoint

[cant_get_a_good_nick]

It sucks that people can't lave others alone.

But forgetting that "people are real assholes sometimes", here you have a game that leads someone with a multi-hundred dollar smartphone to a location not necessarily controlled by them. May you live in interesting times.

Re:Two days?

[Dins]

I played the game this weekend with my 18 year old son. It was actually pretty fun. The app needs a good bit of work, but assuming they keep developing and don't mess it up, I can easily see the added market valuation.

It made a kid who usually sits inside at his computer most of the time walk a total of ~8 miles this weekend (not an exaggeration - he's hooked). As my son put it, "Michelle Obama has been trying to convince kids to go outside for 8 years. Nintendo did it in 24 hours."

Seems so familiar...

[cyberfunkr]

An extremely addictive AR/VR game... Makes people ignore their normal day to day... Some kind of mind control...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

Re:Two days?

[Anonymous Coward]

Not Nintendo. Niantic did it. As they've been doing for four years with Ingress.

Re:Two days?

[cfalcon]

> the ONLY reason Pokemon is popular is because of the Pokemon name

Wrong.

Pokemon is popular because Pokemon are cool and fun. Ingress is interesting, but Pokemon is great. It's also much more approachable, and the game has user settable goals (collect all of my favorite pokemon, etc), whereas Ingress is much more about raw power.

I played Ingress and didn't like it. I love Pokemon Go, however.

Music? Pokemon Go has pokemon music, which fucking rocks. Ingress is some mood setting noises, but nothing like Pokemon.

Graphics? Over a hundred pokemon, able to be rendered into your backyard. You have a somewhat customizable avatar too. Ingress has a tricorder.

Brand name, lol.

Re:Two days?

[Archangel Michael]

Saying I am "upset" isn't quite right. I find it "amusing" that something that is so "new" isn't really all that "new".

They should have used different places for their Pokestops, which are based on Ingress (and backstory) Portals. Create your own backstory, and own locations. Oh wait, that would be ... re-inventing the wheel! (not that new, after all)

And yes, Pokemon is going to be all the rage, until all the idiots come out and get themselves hurt and killed. It happens in Ingress, but the PokeKids are pretty damn stupid about slamming on their brakes in front of the nearest pokestop doing whatever they do there.