New Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket has stronger debut than Pokémon Go - experts say it may not save Nintendo

Georgina Noack

The Nightly

2 Min Read

2 hours ago

Pokemon Go took the world by storm when it launched in 2016, but Nintendo’s latest character-hunting game looks set to surpass its success - or is it? Credit: Richard Vogel/AP

It is hard to imagine anything having a bigger debut than the international sensation that was Pokémon Go, but Nintendo Co. has outdone itself with its latest Pokémon offering.

The early revenue for the company’s new mobile Pokémon game, Pokémon Trading Card Game (TCG) Pocket, is more than 70 per cent higher than what the Pokémon Go generated at launch.

Pokémon TCG Pocket grossed about $101 million and amassed over 38 million downloads in its first 25 days, according to analytics company Apptopia Inc, Bloomberg reports.

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By contrast, Pokémon Go generated roughly $59 million in the same period after it debuted in 2016.

The game is also hitting highs in terms of daily spending, it gained roughly $8.2 million in revenue across Google Play and the Apple App Store on November 15, the game’s most profitable day yet.

And yes, despite the meteoric rise, experts doubt Pokémon TCG Pocket will match, let alone surpass the long-term success of Pokémon Go.

“It is highly unlikely to be as big as Pokémon Go, which generates around $1 billion annually,” Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter said in an email, Bloomberg reports.

“Nintendo gets 32 per cent of profit and it is likely profit is no more than $250 million annually,” he added.

Pokémon Go was a first-of-its kind game for Nintendo and co-creator Niantic Inc. that used augmented-reality technology to facilitate an in-app character hunt that became an international gaming sensation and social experience for players.

Experts also doubt that Pokémon TCG Pocket will be able to cause an enduring positive change in Nintendo’s plummeting sales record; even though viral games (including Go) helped the company’s top line in the past.

Earlier this month, Nintendo reported a fifth consecutive quarterly sales decline. The company also cut its full-year outlook, citing weak software sales and dwindling demand for its Switch gaming console.

Pokémon Go has generated over $5 billion of in-app purchases since launching in 2016, according to Apptopia. In 2017, Nintendo attributed a boost in sales to the game’s viral success.

Pokémon TCG Pocket is free to play but there is a $10 monthly premium subscription — that kicks in after a free trial — and in-game currency that allows users to purchase more virtual card packs and accessories that users are hesitant to spend on.