Three months ago we called Pokemon Go the mark of the new era. By the time we were convinced enough to write about the global Augmented Reality gaming sensation it had reached its peak with over 43 million active daily users, that was just 3 months ago.
However, we did allude to the fact that such apps/tech sensations are often fads with millions of the users likely to give up on it as attention is redirected to newer apps/tech or more productive activities.
Pokemon Go had high hopes of not succumbing to such a situation by continuously developing a more immersive gaming experience in efforts to retain its already established user base whilst attracting new users to the game. As is the case with most apps/tech, user retention is just as important as user uptake.
According to a report that first surfaced on Bloomberg earlier today, the Pokemon Go fad seems to be coming to an end as data from application analytics company Apptopia suggests that users are no longer interested in the game and are leaving in numbers with millions no longer engaging with it as active daily users
However, even with its declining numbers, we cannot deny the impact Pokemon Go had in introducing the world to Augmented Reality and even Virtual Reality as it was ofter mistaken and compared to. Although VR remains largely more popular the game has created interest in the opportunities of AR in apps and tech throughout the world.
The key to the mobile gaming apps is to stay innovating. At no point should a user go a week or two logging into the same experience. Although Pokemon Go still has a strong presence with over 30 million active daily users its a good example of how apps/tech retention will always be more important than uptake. A good example is to think about the one game you downloaded on your mobile that had you tuned in every free moment you had, now think of the last time you played it!
