It's no secret that Niantic and The Pokémon Company have struck gold with Pokémon Go, and we've been fed impressive stats ever since the game launched in July. The latest piece of data to impress us is the fact that the game has now reached 500 million downloads.
"The phenomenal success of Pokémon GO during the brand's 20-year celebration is an incredible reminder of how many people around the world love Pokémon," said Tsunekazu Ishihara, president and CEO of The Pokémon Company. "The team at Niantic developed a unique experience that merges their expertise in cutting-edge location-based technologies with the beloved characters and classic gameplay of Pokémon. This ideal match of the right brand and the right technology has resonated with hundreds of millions of existing and new fans around the world."
"The globally loved Pokémon brand paired with Niantic's platform and game design that encourages exploration, exercise and making real world social connections has inspired millions of people of all ages to go outdoors together," said John Hanke, CEO of Niantic, Inc. "We are encouraged by the fast adoption of the game and are pleased to see so many people walk and play every day. Pokémon GO for Apple Watch will be another way people can incorporate the game into their daily lives, even more seamlessly."
The game was shown for Apple Watch at yesterday's Apple keynote and will launch later this year for Apple Watch. So if you start see people spin their index on their wrist later this year, you'll know they're just trying to catch 'em all.