Pokémon GO is jumping out from every website and it seems that everybody plays this game all the time. No wonder that you can be curious why the funny app get so much buzz and what stays behind its instant success. We were also interested in the Pokémon GO phenomenon so we looked into this matter and provide you with 5 tips for the app’s success.
1. NOSTALGIA
Why do people get interested in Pokémon GO in the first place? The answer is: nostalgia. If you were born in the last decade of the twentieth century, you probably remember how trendy were Pokémon among children those days. A huge number of them used to play Pokémon video game, watch cartoons about the adventures of Ash Ketchum or collect cards and stickers to catch them all.
Basing on the nostalgia of today’s 20- and 30-year-old, Niantic didn’t have to reinvent the wheel. The company just brings back what was fashionable before and takes advantage of the feeling of Millenials’ nostalgia for childhood.
2. AUGMENTED REALITY
Once the game won its first nostalgic users, it offered them not only a funny mobile game but something really different and new. In a really smart way Niantic and Nintendo used the latest tech trends to present something extraordinary for their users.
In comparison to the other Pokémon games, Pokémon GO uses augmented reality to attract people to play. The main idea is that the game places a Pokémon in the real world by using smartphone’s camera. This way a creature appears to sit on the sidewalk in front of a user or on the nearby tree.
3. HEATHY LIVING TREND
The augmented reality feature make users interested not only because it is a curiosity though. A lot of them took the Pokémon GO app as an excuse for getting more healthy and get some move in the real world.
How is that? Pokémons from the app are not creatures that sits under your bed. They can be found in many different places in your neighbourhood which can be found by using an in-app map. You have to go around to really find them all.
4. SOCIAL NETWORK
What else make the game so popular? The way the game make people socialize. An average game is said to encourage its players to sit in their houses, gazing at a computer screen or at their mobile device. All alone instead of playing or talking with friends.
Pokémon GO seems to differ from this view. The game includes PokeStops and Gyms where a player should go to accomplish in-game tasks. Those places are perfect places to meet other Pokémon players and the game is an easy way to start a conversation and socialize.
5. MONETIZATION STRATEGY
As you surely know, the success of an app is only real for its creator when the app brings him revenue. And Pokémon GO does! According to Venture Beat, Pokemon Go has generated approximately $35 million in revenue within its first two weeks and brings in approximately $1.6 million each day from iPhone users alone. All of that without charging users for the product.
How does it work? Pokémon Go is a perfect example of the in-app purchase business model. Users don’t have to pay a penny for playing if they don’t want to. The core app is given for free. There are however in-app purchase possibilities which can make the game even more engaging. And people buy them because they felt in love with the game because of the impact of the four points listed above, not because they are forced to. This phenomenon can really be called a huge success.
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