It’s been a full year since Pokémon Go’s meteoric rise last July, and it still speaks to a group of loyal fans. And according to mobile analyst Sensor Tower, the fans that are spending the most dollars are in Japan.
The mobile game has reached $1.2 billion in lifetime revenue, and nearly 329 million downloads in the Apple App Store and Google Play store combined. The U.S. remains Pokémon Go’s largest market, leading with $424 million spent on in-app purchases, while Japan showed $318 million. However, Sensor Tower found that Japanese players are spending an average of $26 per download compared to U.S. players, who spend an average of $7.70.
Developer Niantic Inc. has been actively re-engaging players with new content, like Gen 2 Pokémon and in-game and real-world events. Sensor Tower says that Japanese players in general monetize well.
“Looking at last year, the average player spend for the U.S was approximately $2 per download, compared to Japan where it was approximately $14 per download,” said Randy Nelson, Sensor Tower’s head of mobile insights. “These figures reflect combined downloads and gross revenue for the App Store and Google play.”
Compared to the average spend, Japanese players are spending more than twice as much on Pokémon Go, and U.S. players are spending more than three times.
Sensor Tower also compared the Pokémon Go numbers to the dollars per download seen with Supercell’s Clash Royale. There, Japanese players nearly matched U.S. players, spending an average of $23 per download versus $22 per download.
