Pokemon Go adds $7.5B to Nintendo market share

By Barry Eitel

SAN FRANCISCO

Two decades after the world was first introduced to Pikachu, the latest Pokemon videogame is besting Twitter, WhatsApp and Instagram in terms of usage time, digital analysts reported Monday.

Pokemon Go was rolled out to iPhone and Android smartphone users in the United States, Australia and New Zealand on July 6.

The free game is already installed on more than 5 percent of all Android devices in the U.S., data analyst firm SimilarWeb noted in a report Monday.

The game will likely overtake Twitter for active daily users very soon and is already used for a longer period per day than Twitter, WhatsApp, Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook Messenger.

The average Pokemon Go user in the U.S. played the game for more than 43 minutes on July 8, said SimilarWeb. Snapchat is used an average of roughly 23 minutes per day.

The Wall Street Journal reported that the ferociously popular game is expected to roll out in Europe and Asia by the end of the week.

On the Japanese stock exchange Monday, the game added $7.5 billion in market value to Nintendo, Pokemon’s original creators. The increase is Nintendo’s greatest one-day surge since 1983.

The essence of the game is fairly simple – users walk around in the real world and attempt to find little imaginary animals known as Pokemon.

Created by game designing firm Niantic, Pokemon Go uses augmented reality, GPS and digital maps to make it appear as if users are catching the creatures in their backyard, kitchen or office.

Niantic was actually spun off from Google in 2015. The company was apparently caught unawares by the extreme popularity of Pokemon Go and the first days of the game’s release have been marred by server issues and slowdowns.

The game has also been linked to some injuries, mostly due to players tripping or running into objects.

“Please remember to be safe and alert at all times,” Niantic said in a statement Monday. “We are humbled by the overwhelmingly positive response to Pokémon Go and greatly appreciate the support of our fans.”