Pokemon Go has generated a lot of media buzz, to say the least. In its debut week, Pokemon Go broke the Apple App Store’s download record and, currently, it holds the position of “Top Grossing iPhone” app (not bad for a free app).
So what’s made Pokemon Go so successful? Here are my observations.
Nostalgia
In my conversations with millennials (both of whom are in their twenties), they said they were avid players of Pokemon as children on the Nintendo DS portable handheld. Fast-forward 10 years later, and they admit that part of the allure is that it’s nostalgic and brings back happy memories.Innovative Game Play
One unique thing about this game is that it requires players to go outside and search for the Pokemon characters. Essentially it’s a virtual scavenger hunt. The game’s augmented reality is an interesting aspect. However, I talked to one player who found it annoying and actually turns it off — which makes me think AR may not be a driving feature of the game.Social
Once players reach Level 5 in the game, they can join teams. Many games have a social aspect to them. But what’s different about Pokemon Go is that because it forces players to walk around in the real world to find the characters, the social aspect can be real (not virtual). The millennial whom I spoke to said all her friends at Taco Bell are on the same team and they often go on their scavenger hunt after work.Brilliant Monetization Strategy
As I mentioned earlier, Pokemon Go is currently the top grossing app in the Apple Store. As in most free games, there’s an in-app purchase option where players can buy virtual goods, which is typical. From my conversation, my Pokemon Go-playing millennials had already spent $25 between the two of them. What’s brilliant is a virtual good called “Lure” Module, which attracts Pokemon to a PokeStop for 30 minutes.A New York pizzeria claims that its revenue jumped 75 percent over the weekend by purchasing $10 in Lure Modules; so if you buy in bulk, that comes out to $1.70 per Lure Module, which is a pretty good ROI. Even more interesting is that there will be a national sponsorship system where retailers like Jamba Juice and McDonald's can set up their own PokeStops.
