BERLIN: Players of Pokémon Go have spent more than $250 million on the addictive “augmented reality” mobile game in its first few weeks, according to an international survey, with the figures suggesting it is on course to hit $1 billion in sales.
One in five players of Pokémon Go spends money within the smartphone app — with 11 million paying users in the UK and US alone, according to the survey of nearly 50,000 people from the UK, US and Germany by pollster YouGov.
To play Pokémon Go, gamers use their smartphone’s GPS to find, capture, fight and train virtual creatures superimposed on the real world shown by their camera. Players can purchase items to advance the game, including coins, eggs and incubators.
In-app payments for the game crossed $268 million within five weeks of launch, says YouGov. In the UK, 1 million people paid to play Pokémon Go in its first month, with the majority of those paying between 80p and £14.99, rather than the minimum of 79p. Meanwhile, 29 percent and 20 percent of American and German players respectively spent money in the app, with 9 percent of German fans — equivalent to 142,000 people — spending more than €100.
“Our research is showing that spend levels in five weeks in just three countries is over a quarter of a billion dollars,” said Stephen Harmston, head of YouGov Reports. “Start projecting that over time and across 72 countries where Pokémon Go is available and you’ll see how quickly this will become a $1 billion run-rate game.”
