Pokémon GO developer says monthly profit reports at five-year low are ‘incorrect’

to update [Thu 4th May, 2023 15:45 BST]: After yesterday’s report that monthly revenue from Niantic’s Pokémon GO was the lowest the game has seen since 2018, the developer responded today, dismissing the claims as “untrue.”

In a comment given to EurogamerNiantic stated that its revenue was actually up from the same period last year, though it didn’t specifically deny that acquisitions in April were down month-over-month:

We don’t generally comment on third party estimates of our revenue because they are often incorrect, which is the case here. Our revenues are up so far in 2023 compared to last year.

The studio has continued to deny claims that the revenue decline has come as a result of recent changes to Raid, stating that it has instead led to an “increase in personal raids”:

We don’t focus on month-to-month trends because they fluctuate based on major live events. This year’s changes have really increased character raids and we’re excited to introduce exciting new features over the coming months.

You can find all the details of the preliminary monthly earnings report below, and it should be noted that it is only one source of income for the game.

The original article [Wed 3rd May, 2023 15:45 BST]: Believe it or not, Pokémon GO has been around for almost seven years now, launching back in July 2016 (nearly a full year before the Switch!). It always seems inevitable, then, that interest in the app will eventually wane.

Well, it looks like the time might be upon us, according to MobileGame.biz (Thanks, VGC), Pokémon GO’s monthly earnings for April 2023 were significantly lower than those for March, which itself was a weak month compared to February. The app made a total of $34.7 million during April, $42.8 million in March, and $58 million in February, which means the drop over two months is a fairly large 40%.

While $34.7 million is still a lot of cash, April 2023 marks the game’s lowest earning period since February 2018. The drop may be due in part to the widespread negative reception to developer Niantic’s decision to increase the price of Remote Raid Passes, which took effect in Beginning of April 2023.

The decision caused a ‘Hear Us Niantic’ to appear on social media as players banded together to denounce the price increase, which many saw as detrimental to coaches with disabilities. However, Niantic doubled down on its decision, stating that it was necessary to the “long-term health of the game”.