Skip to content
Subscriber Only

Pokémon Go Never Went Away—and Neither Did Its Technical Woes

After the trend stories died, millions of avid players remained.
The Pokémon Go Fest in Chicago on July 22, 2017.

The Pokémon Go Fest in Chicago on July 22, 2017.

Photographer: Daniel Boczarski/Getty Images

Pokémon Go was an international phenomenon last fall, sending players wandering streets and parks to capture little creatures displayed on their smartphones. Months later, after Pokémon hysteria dissipated and manic crowds dispersed, only the most devoted players remain. And it turns out there are millions of them—some of whom will even turn up for a festival in Chicago.

About 60 million people still play Pokémon Go each month, according to data from mobile app research firm Apptopia, and one in five of those players opens the game on a daily basis. Over the past year, the research firm found, the app has been downloaded 755 million times and has earned more than $1.2 billion in revenue since its July 2016 debut.