Being tremendously successful, the "Pokemon Go" mobile game is totally changing the augmented/virtual reality (AR/VR) paradigm.
According to Tech Crunch, the AR/VR game looks very different to what everyone expected. It is free, it is mobile, does not require new hardware, is not high-tech, but is very fun to play.
Hundreds of millions of players aged 8 to 80 have already played "Pokemon Go" worldwide, read about odd gaming experiences or watched others play. AR/VR world does not belong anymore to the industry insiders, early adopters and innovators. In less than one week, the world of augmented/virtual reality has become a mainstream phenomenon.
According to CNBC, an international survey shows that in its first few weeks players of "Pokemon Go" augmented reality mobile game have already spent more than $250 million. The figures of the survey are suggesting that the ultra-popular game is on its course to hit $1 billion in sales.
Even if the game can be downloaded for free, one in five players spends money within the app. In the U.S. and UK alone there are an estimated 11 million paying users, according to the same survey performed by pollster YouGov.
In order to play the AR/VR game, players use their smartphone's GPS to find, train, fight and capture virtual creatures that are shown by their camera superimposed on the real world. Players can also purchase various items in order to advance the "Pokemon Go" game, including incubators, eggs and coins.
In the first month in the UK, 1 million people paid to play the game, with majority of them spending between 80p and £14.99. Meanwhile, around 20 percent of German players and 29 percent American players respectively spent money in the app. Among the German fans of "Pokemon Go," 9 percent (equivalent to 142,000 people) have spent more than €100.
Despite some controversies surrounding the latest game updates, "Pokemon Go" continues to be downloaded in the order of magnitude of tens of millions of downloads per day. Businesses ranging from pubs, to ice cream shops, bars, movie theaters and McDonald's, are paying to show up as locations in the game. According to YouGov, the game represents a turning point for augmented reality and brands.
