Pokémon Go has highest number of players since launch

Pokémon Go, which launched in 2016, has, just this month, hit the highest number of active players ever.

The news comes from a report from Superdata, a games and interactive media research company.

The report reveals a strong summer ahead for Niantic’s mobile game:

“Pokémon Go poised for a strong summer. Pokémon Go generated $104 million in May, up 174% year-over-year. The player base increased to the highest level since the game’s peak in 2016 – just in time for the usual summer bump that goes hand-in-hand with the game’s walkabout gameplay.”

The report doesn’t disclose exact numbers, but the increase is impressive for a game that seemed like a fleeting craze.

The continued success is due, in part, to Niantic’s stream of updates. They have added new content to the game on a regular basis.

Just recently, Niantic introduced a new quest system to Pokémon Go, along with an in-game friends feature, the ability to trade Pokes, and a gift system.

In other recent Pokémon news, a free-to-play game, called Pokémon quest, was released at this year’s E3 for the Nintendo Switch. The game is out today for iOS and Android, and there are two further games coming: Let’s Go Pikachu and Let’s Go Eevee, which are both due out for the Switch on November 16th.

---

Also on Thumbsticks:

• Free update adds Labo support to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
• Three more classic games added to Xbox One backwards compatibility
• Play the first two levels of Unravel Two for free on Xbox One