According to AppMagic, Pokémon Go brought in $48.5 million in revenue during its 10th anniversary celebrations

A vibrant illustration celebrating the 10th anniversary of Pokémon GO, featuring various Pokémon like Dragonite, Pikachu, Mewtwo, Charizard, and Eevee, alongside diverse groups of human characters in adventurous poses, with fireworks and cityscapes in the background. — Image credit: Niantic/Scopely

The 10th anniversary of Pokémon Go witnessed a surge in revenue, with over $48.5 million collected from in-app purchases as per AppMagic data.

This spike coincided with the Road to Legends event between July 6 and July 12.

The event, leading up to Pokémon Go Fest: Global, presented rotating raids that included legendary and Mega-Evolved Pokémon, Ultra Beasts, and featured special backgrounds and signature move unlocks.

Consequently, the game's revenue from in-app purchases was nearly six times greater than the preceding week, marking an unprecedented weekly peak.

During this period, Pokémon Go achieved the rank of fourth highest revenue-generating app globally.

In the prior month, the game amassed $98.1 million from in-app purchases, with over four million downloads recorded.

The United States contributed 37% to the game's revenue, followed by Japan at 27%. In terms of downloads, India led with 22%, with the US accounting for 14%.

For July, Pokémon Go was listed as the seventh top-grossing app worldwide, surpassing Roblox.

Matthew Reynolds, editor of One More Catch, discussed with GamesIndustry.biz the notable factors drawing players during the anniversary week.

"The ‘Road of Legends’ brought back nearly every legendary Pokémon for raids, and the £20/$20 optional battle pass offered the Gold Bottle Cap, a powerful tool for maximizing Pokémon stats," Reynolds explained.

He added, "The week concluded with the Pokémon Go Fest: Global and the full introduction of Mega Mewtwo, a fan-favorite Pokémon."

Reynolds also noted that despite increased monetization following Scopely's acquisition, Pokémon Go continues to engage free users by implementing key features like trading, player battles, and shiny Pokémon encounters.

Since its release in 2016, Pokémon Go has achieved over 700 million downloads and generated more than $6.4 billion in revenue, according to estimates from AppMagic.

In discussions with GamesIndustry.biz, Scopely's president of games, Ed Wu, and head of M&A operations, Heather Tacskovics, talked about the game's direction under Scopely, stating there are no plans for a direct sequel.

Wu, who was formerly Niantic's SVP for Pokémon Go, remarked, "Creating a sequel that divides our community doesn't make sense. If we pursue something new, it must offer a fresh perspective while motivating people to explore together."