Niantic‘s substantial income comes from real-world competitions among Pokémon GO players. In 2019, the studio earned $249 million from such events.
At Niantic competitions, a significant part of the community gathers to catch Pokemon. The largest audience this year was attracted by the event in Chicago — 64 thousand people. On it, Niantic earned $120 million in just four days.
Similar events were held in Canada and Germany in 2019. They brought in $71 million and $56 million respectively.
According to Pocket Gamer, competition revenue is comparable to a third of Pokémon GO’s annual revenue. In 2019, it amounted to $894 million. Its main source of funds is IAP. But Niantic also plans to earn more and more at mass competitions in the real world. In addition, they contribute to the promotion of the title and communication with the community.
The studio started working on this idea long before the release of Pokémon GO — seven years ago.
Over the past seven years, live events in the real world have become the basis of Niantic's plan to create interactive experiences through technology. This plan encourages research and discovery, an active and healthy lifestyle and friendship for many years to come. Senior Manager of Niantic Live Events
In 2020, the developer will hold four Pokémon GO competitions: in Taiwan, the UK and two American cities. Similar events are planned for players of other Niantic geolocation titles – Harry Potter: Wizards Unite and Ingress.
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