Pokemon Go: 11 amazing, mind-boggling facts about the AR game

Pokemon has taken the US, New Zealand and Australia by storm since it launched on Wednesday 6 July.

And, in a sort-of bluffer’s guide, here are 11 cool facts for you to roll off when someone asks you all about it. 

• Can’t get Pokemon Go in your country yet? Here’s how to download it now
• Pokemon Go coming to UK, Europe and other countries “within days”
• Pokemon Go: Best, worst and craziest places people have found Pokemon

5.16 per cent 

According to online tracking service Similar Web, Pokemon Go was installed on 5.16 per cent of all Android devices in the US by Friday 8 July, only 3 days after the app’s release. That’s more than Tinder.

3 per cent 

Over 3 per cent of the entire US Android population have not just downloaded but used the app. According to Similar Web, over 60 per cent of those who have downloaded it are using it daily.

277 million

Nintendo has sold more than 277 million Pokemon games to date, over 21.5 billion trading cards in 10 languages, and made 17 feature films over the last 20 years. Time will tell how Pokemon Go matches up to those numbers.

$57.65 billion

Pokemon sales and licences alone have resulted in Nintendo earning a whopping $57.65 billion in revenue as of 2015.

4 million

Outside of the US, users around the world have been trying to download Pokemon Go using an APK, bypassing the official app store. The main source, apkmirror.com, saw its traffic go from roughly 600,000 visits on 5 July to over four million visits on 6 July alone. 

$9 billion

The stock market likes Pokemon Go too. Since Wednesday 6 July Nintendo stocks are up. Nintendo has seen more than $9bn (£6.9bn) added to the company’s market value as investors see the huge potential.

4 suspects, 11 victims

Four suspects in O’Fallon, Missouri allegedly used Pokemon Go to lure at least 11 users into a trap. The suspects set locations on the app where players could find wild Pokemon. They then allegedly mugged them when they arrived at the location, stealing phones and personal belongings. The teens are said to have admitted to using the app as part of their criminal actions.

1 dead body

Shayla Wiggins found more than she bargained for when she went hunting for Pokemon near Big Wind River in Fremont County. She spied a genuine dead body in the water. She called the police, who have since stated that “the death appears to be accidental in nature and possible that of a drowning.”

£79.99

That’s the price of 14,500 PokeCoins in Pokemon Go in the UK. It’s the most expensive in-app purchase you can get. Coins buy you accessories and things in the game, but sadly cost real money if you want to spend immediately. If you are patient you can save PokeCoins by playing the game.

362 per cent 

Spotify streams of the Pokemon Theme “Gotta Catch ‘Em All” have increased 362 per cent globally in the past week following the enormous success of Pokemon Go. Overall streams of Pokemon songs on Spotify have more than tripled.

There are currently 197 thousand user-generated “Pokemon” playlists and a further 53 thousand simply titled “Pikachu”.

The top 5 most-streamed tracks on Spotify are…

Pokemon Theme
Pokerap
Pokemon Johto
Go Pokemon Go
I Want To Be A Hero

15 July

That’s the day when you should have Pokemon Go by if you live outside the US, New Zealand and Australia. Its release here, in Europe and other countries around the world has been promised “soon” officially, but the Wall Street Journal’s sources say it will be available “within days”.