Week That Was
Netflix sticks with games, Humble Games closure confusion and Monster Hunter Now levels up | Week in Views
The Pocketgamer.biz team pick their highlights from the headlines this week and deliver the stories behind the stories
Company Profile
Niantic
Website
www.nianticlabs.com/
About
We are a geo-focused developer and the creator of Pokemon GO, helmed by John Hanke.
We believe we can use technology to lean into the ‘reality’ of augmented reality — encouraging everyone to get outside and connect with the world around us. It’s our responsibility to consider user privacy, responsible use, inclusive development processes, and AR’s potential impact on the world now, not after the fact.
Related People
Ziah Fogel
Senior Producer
Matt Ein
Senior Game Designer
Karla Reyes
Growth Product Manager
Kirsten Koa
Senior Software Engineer
Laura Warner
Senior Game Designer
Karen Tong
Senior Director of Product Marketing
Kellee Santiago
Head of Developer Relations
John Hanke
CEO
Anne Beuttenmüller
Product Marketing Manager
+6 more
Accolades
Articles featuring Niantic
Monster Multiplayer
Monster Hunter Now’s Dimensional Links show a conscious effort to include rural players
Multiplayer levels up with this latest online matchmaking feature
Content Creator Collab
Monster Hunter Now looks to bring "meaningful integration" with MrBeast collab
The game’s first collab outside the Monster Hunter IP is with YouTube’s biggest creator
Hot Five
Hot Five: Apple fees hit ads, Squad Busters’ first month reviewed, and Pokémon Go's eight years on top
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
Gotta Play Them All
I played Pokémon Go for 365 days… And it's still only Niantic’s second-best game…
PG.biz's Aaron Astle goes in deep on Pokémon Go to mark its eighth birthday, and finds a game that still has plenty of room for improvement
Critical Hit
Pokémon Go catches nearly $8 billion in eight years
Niantic's blockbuster fell to its lowest revenue since 2017 - but its web shop could be hiding true player spend
Promotional Power
Monster Hunter Now on mobile cross promotes spin-off on PC and console
A new story and limited-time quests in the mobile hit promote the Monster Hunter Stories re-release
Pokemon Power
Niantic’s going back to basics for Pokémon Go’s eighth anniversary
July 6th will mark eight years since Pokémon Go first rocked the world
Gaming For Good
Niantic celebrate Earth Day success with 3.4 million players taking part
The numbers are in and this year's Niantic eco-drive proved to be bigger than ever
Pokemon Price Hike
Pika fight… Pokémon Go just put prices up 1300% in Turkey
The move comes as a counter measure, ending months of location spoofing, robbing Niantic from earnings elsewhere… But at what cost?
Monster Milestone
Monster Hunter Now reaches 15 million downloads
Monster Hunter Now reached 10 million installs in 35 days but its taken another six months to gain five million more
Monster Metrics
Monster Hunter Now is actually BEATING Pokémon Go in these key metrics…
Monster Hunter Now may have a smaller audience, but that audience is more monetised
Hot Five
Hot Five: Monopoly GO’s next-level UA, Supercell’s psychological analysis, and AI use for NPC dialogue
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
Week That Was
Week in Views - The return of M&A, killing your darlings and Monopoly WHOA!
The Pocketgamer.biz team pick their highlights from the headlines this week and deliver the stories behind the stories
Monster Milestone
Six months of Monster Hunter Now: A well-earned celebration as Niantic catches lightning twice
Monster Hunter Now has generated $150 million in its first six months, making it Niantic’s second-biggest game behind Pokémon Go
Rising Stars
One-Punch Man World and NBA Infinite are this February's app ranking breakout stars
Data.ai's monthly gaming pulse for February reveals which new games globally are the ones to watch
Monster Milestone
Monster Hunter Now climbs to $150 million in time for six month anniversary
Japan remains the biggest spender by far, followed by Hong Kong and Taiwan
Fun At The Fest
Pokémon Go Fest 2024 will span three continents across three months
Pokémon Go Fest is the game’s biggest event of the year, with dates announced in Japan, Spain and the US for 2024
Week That Was
Week in Views - Tough talk, turning tides and big players go mobile
The Pocketgamer.biz team pick their highlights from the headlines this week and deliver the stories behind the stories
Monster Milestone
Monster Hunter Now's half-year anniversary reveals time-limited monetisation tactics
Plus, the Monster Hunter series is 20 years old in March, with plenty of celebratory content on the way
Time To Tour
Pokémon Go Tour: Sinnoh gives players power over time and space
The annual Pokémon Go Tour has returned for its fourth year, this time focused on Sinnoh
Hot Five
Hot Five: Supercell revenues decline, Ubisoft’s mobile games plummet, but MTG signs a Monumental acquisition
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
Japan Generation
Japan generates 50% of worldwide geolocation game spending
Niantic and Square Enix lead the way for player spending in location-based games
Web Store Wave
Niantic moves Pokémon Go redeem codes exclusively to web store
As the use of web stores grow in popularity, it's Niantic's turn to play the game with exclusive offers on board
Women In Games
Niantic’s Karen Tong shares her experience marketing the world’s biggest AR game, Pokémon GO
As part of its ongoing Women In Games series, Liftoff speaks to Karen Tong, Senior Director of Product Marketing at Niantic about her achievements, challenges and aspirations.
Hot Five
Hot Five: Global layoffs continue, playtime rises, and Monster Hunter celebrates 20 years
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
Week That Was
Week in Views - from Unity 'ripping off the band aid' to SAG-AFTRA's AI rollover. Here's our pick of what's hot
The Pocketgamer.biz team pick their highlights from the headlines this week and deliver the stories behind the stories
Shiny And Supportive
Pokémon donates ¥50 million to support those impacted by the Noto Peninsula Earthquake
The January 1 earthquake has caused particular damage to Wajima, Suzu and Noto
Best Of 2023
PocketGamer.biz's mobile games of the year 2023
Yes, we couldn't resist one more opportunity to point you at what you should be playing! Here are the team's favourite games of 2023
Hot Five
Hot Five: MyGamez raises $1.6m, Peak soft launches Star Match, and Monster Hunter Now hits $100m
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
Week That Was
Week in Views - What caught our eyes in the last seven days
The Pocketgamer.biz team take their pick of this weeks big news, including an Epic victory, Netflix' new hotness, a major monster and a death in the family…
Monster In The Making
Monster Hunter Now is a roaring success, making $100 million in under three months
Another milestone for Monster Hunter Now solidifies Niantic’s latest success
Beastly Balancing
Monster Hunter Now enters new season with "major update" promised every quarter
New balancing, monsters and weapons are on their way to Niantic’s second-biggest game
Pokemon Persuasion
Pokémon Go changes tack and adds Pokémon Legends for cross-platform promo
Hisuian Decidueye, Typhlosion, Samurott and Wydeer are on the way from Pokémon Legends: Arceus
Pioneering Peridot
Niantic bringing generative AI to Peridot for "surprising" AR encounters
Peridot taking augmented reality to a new level with AI pets reacting to the real world
PokÉmon Goes
Augmented reality: Pokémon Go delivers $323 million in real-world economic impact
Pokémon Go fest events outpaced last year’s total and generate revenue towards local businesses
Franchise Fortune
Monster Hunter Now is officially a hit, but is it the next Pokémon Go?
Almost two months on from Niantic’s latest launch, we take a deep dive into Capcom’s beloved franchise and promising new collaboration
Seasonal Specials
Big games pull out all the stops for Halloween special events
What better time to put on a crowd-pleasing special than the unifying, international, scary spectacle that is Halloween? Here's how the big names are celebrating this year
Hot Five
Hot Five: Azur Games and Metacore acquisitions, hybridcasual hype, and Niantic’s new star
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
Monster Milestone
Monster Hunter Now wins big with 10 million downloads in 35 days
Niantic’s latest success: Here's the story so far…
Halloween Hunting
Monster Hunter Now’s first seasonal event embraces Halloween
Niantic’s latest will celebrate its first seasonal event six weeks on from launch
Joys Of Japan
Japan’s mobile playerbase spends above and beyond on new mobile games
Diandian’s report shows how much Japanese players are willing to spend on the hottest new games
Pokemon Party
Pokémon Go’s new Party Play aims to get even more gamers outside
The new feature sees players team up in groups of four and take on challenges
Battle Of Behemoths
Monster Hunter Now is Niantic’s second biggest game with $31.44 million in one month
Niantic and Capcom’s latest project is a roaring success by every metric
Hot Five
Hot Five: Niantic has a new star, Epic warns of "degradation in quality", and new games hit the market
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
Reigning Revenue Raisers
Top 10 highest-grossing mobile games of all time
From Candy Crush and Clash of Clans to Pokémon and Lineage M
Advertising
Niantic launches first in-game 'rewarded AR' advertising collaboration in Pokémon Go
In-game AR ads are Niantic's new hope for fresh revenue as Pokémon Go numbers slide
Sleuthing A Strategy
Niantic launching limited-time Pokémon Go event to promote Detective Pikachu Returns
Pokémon Go gets sleuthing one day ahead of the new Nintendo Switch title’s release
Monster Hunter Now
Monster Hunter Now set to be Niantic’s third biggest game with $14 million in first month revenue
The game is Niantic’s fourth largest launch, and consistent consumer spend could see it climb even higher
Indian Expansion
Mobile is key to Capcom’s expansion goals in India
Company COO Haruhiro Tsujimoto believes Capcom may sell more games in India than China within a decade