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Pokémon Go loses more than 10 million users

Developer Niantic is persevering with the game

By Tom Mendelsohn. Photo: Pokémon.

Pokémon Go is starting to lose its buzz, with the latest tracking data seeming to suggest the game is simply a fad.

It had almost 45 million daily users in July, but this figure appears to have sunk by more than 12 million since the start of August, to just over 30 million said to be playing Pokémon Go. Further decline is expected, as downloads, engagement, and the time users spend on the app have all also visibly flopped, according to data provided by Sensor Tower, SurveyMonkey, and Apptopia.

Bloomberg, which saw the raw data, reported that other major apps such as Twitter, Facebook, and Snapchat "can breathe a sigh of relief" that Pokémon Go is finally wobbling, as the game's popularity had apparently been costing them considerable amounts of users.

"Given the rapid rise in usage of the Pokémon Go app since the launch in July, investors have been concerned that this new user experience has been detracting from time spent on other mobile focused apps," said Axiom Capital Management analyst Victor Anthony.

Developer Niantic is persevering with the game, however, and is due to release version 0.35.0 for Android and 1.5.0 for iOS. According to the patch notes, players "will now be able to learn about a Pokémon’s attack and defence capabilities from their Team Leader to determine which of their Pokémon have the most potential for battle."

Niantic also hinted at upcoming developments designed to improve the game's questionable longevity, saying: "We are still working hard on several new and exciting features to come in the future of Pokémon Go."

This post originated on Ars Technica UK

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