Pokémon Go made its debut in 2016, and is arguably the sport that actually introduced AR video games into the limelight. Niantic’sgame lets gamers worldwide embark on their very own Pokémon journeys, capturing the creatures in the actual world by means of the usage of augmented actuality.
A part of Pokémon Go’s success comes from the aptly named Pokémon Go Fest stay occasions, which invite gamers worldwide to host cities for a weekend of Pokémon searching. And never solely do such occasions increase the video games model recognition and participant’s portfolio of Pokémon, additionally they have measurable helpful results to the areas by which they happen.
Pokémon occasions have already had a demonstrable impact on real-world economies, with Statista reporting final 12 months that the occasions contributed $309 million to host cities in 2022, and now Niantic is reporting that the corporate has exceeded this achievement in 2023, with a large $323 million spent at native companies within the host cities of New York, London, and Osaka, together with $73.8 million in tax income.
Participation can be up year-on-year, with over 194,000 gamers participating within the occasions in comparison with 150,000 final 12 months.
Exploring New York
Among the many occasions was the Pokémon Go Fest occasion held in New York on the weekend of August 18, centred on Randall Island Park. Gamers spent a complete of $140.1 million over the weekend, and generated $28.1 million in tax income, offering a large increase to native companies. 74,000 tickets to the occasion have been bought, with common spend of $783 per customer. Over the course of the occasion, guests walked a mean of 18.6 miles, and a complete of 35 million pokemon have been caught – round 472 per individual.
“New York Metropolis is the world’s stage relating to stay occasions,” mentioned president and CEO of New York Metropolis Tourism + Conventions Fred Dixon. “The Niantic group proved to be nice companions in our efforts to deliver the Pokémon Go Fest to the 5 boroughs this previous summer season, and the outcomes of the financial influence examine converse for themselves. The occasion created a chance to showcase town to gamers and followers from all over the world, 21% of whom have been first-time guests. We look ahead to welcoming them again to NYC once more sooner or later.”
“Randall’s Island Park Alliance was thrilled to have Pokémon Go make its inaugural look at our park this summer season,” mentioned Randall Island Park Alliance president Deborah Maher. “The overwhelming engagement and pleasure of the attendees was great to witness. We’re grateful to the neighborhood and followers that made Pokémon GO Fest 2023 successful and hope to welcome them again sooner or later.”
We listed Niantic as one of many high 50 cell recreation makers of 2023.
