This summer, Pokémon Go took the gaming industry by storm. For months, Pokémon Go was the new water cooler talk and was all over the news. Back in July, we reported on the trend and it seemed that everyone was playing – young and old.
Just today, Sprint announced that it’s teaming up with the developer of Pokémon Go, Niantic, to make Sprint and Boost Mobile locations PokéStops and Gyms. But is it too late for the mobile carrier to profit off this gaming movement?
When Pokémon Go first came out this summer, 17% of people said they have played while 5% wanted to. Now, 18% have played and only 1% say that they plan to play:
The number of people who are not interested in playing has increased from 75% this summer to 78% as of today.
So although the Sprint/ Pokémon Go partnership has potential, it looks like Sprint missed the major growth phase. We could assume that the user numbers may drop off and the game is past its peak.
However, the wireless carrier was right on the mark in deciding what would get customers into stores. 28% of Sprint and Boost Mobile customers are interested in or are Pokémon Go players:
Overall it was a smart move for Sprint, but the partnership should have happened sooner to be more profitable for the wireless carrier.
