Pokemon Go Spending Back Up Following Remote Raid Controversy

In early April, Pokemon Go developer Niantic instituted a controversial change to the game's Remote Raids. That same month, the game's profits had a big monthly decrease, dropping to $34.7 million, compared to $42.8 million in March. That number marked the Pokemon Go's worst month in more than five years. However, it seems things rebounded in the month of May, with Pokemon Go returning to the top 10 earning mobile games. Unfortunately, exact numbers have not been revealed just yet, but it's possible we could have a better idea how the game has performed over the next few weeks.

"Spend trends in May were down slightly (-2%) compared to April. Pokemon GO moved back into the top ten games (by consumer spend) in May despite the price hikes to certain in-app purchases over the past few months," said Abraham Yousef of Sensor Tower.

Following April's negative earnings report, Niantic offered a rare public response, telling Eurogamer that it doesn't "focus on month to month trends because they fluctuate based on major live events." In late April, tickets went on sale for Pokemon Go Fest's Global event, which is currently priced at $14.99 in the game's shop. This year's Pokemon Go Fest will see the debut of Diancie, a Mythical Pokemon that has not been made available in any game in quite some time. It's possible that tickets for the event helped spur spending in the game in May, but there's simply no way of knowing for sure.

One way or another, Niantic should be happy to see Pokemon Go return to the top 10 earning mobile games. Next month will mark the game's seventh anniversary, and Pokemon Go will be celebrating with a Community Day Classic event centered on Squirtle. The tiny turtle happens to be the seventh Pokemon in the Pokedex, so it's pretty fitting! Readers can find out more about the event right here.

Do you think the Remote Raid changes hurt the game's profits in April? Are you happy that things seem to have turned around? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!

[H/T: Mat Piscatella]