Pokémon TCG Pocket has second best mobile launch in the franchise, beaten only by Pokémon Go
| Date | Type | Companies Involved | Key Datapoint |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 6, 2024 | other | DeNA Co.,Ltd. The Pokemon Company | $33.7 million |
- Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket launched globally on October 30th, 2024
- The title hit $33.7 million on November 5th
The Pokémon Company’s latest mobile endeavour, Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket, generated $33.7 million in revenue in its first week of global launch.
After releasing on October 30th, the collectable card game peaked at $5.8 million on November 3rd and has continued to generate over $5 million a day since.
The figures come from AppMagic, which estimates an approximate $2.18 in spending per player during that time - and that’s only accounting for spending on Apple’s App Store and the Google Play Store.
When including soft launch revenue, Pokémon Pocket has earned $34.8 million across these stores so far.
A thunder(bolt)ing success
This latest Pokémon game - made in collaboration between The Pokémon Company, Creatures Inc and DeNA - was first announced on Pokémon Day this February and soft launched in New Zealand on September 26th.
It rolled out globally on October 30th with plenty of classic Kanto Pokémon in tow, targetting a similar demographic to Pokémon Go.
AppMagic data indicates Go had a stronger launch with $58 million earned in its first week, perhaps unsurprising as the geolocation game has since become Pokémon’s biggest mobile title by a large margin.
Pocket’s launch week has beaten that of Pokémon’s second most lucrative mobile game, however, that being Pokémon Masters.
This 2019 title, also developed by DeNA, earned just $16.1 million in its first seven days - less than half of Pokémon Pocket’s sum.
The new launch has also far outpaced Tencent’s Pokémon Unite, a 2021 MOBA which generated $4.2 million on mobile in its first week. In fact, Pokémon Pocket marks the second-biggest launch of any active mobile game in the franchise.
The bulk of Pokémon Pocket’s early success has come from Japan and the US, accounting for 43% and 26% of spending respectively.
The card battler is monetising its players with a subscription service and Poké Gold, which each enables players to open more packs of digital cards.
A subscription also unlocks extra missions that reward Pack Hourglasses - in-game items that can accelerate the otherwise 12-hour cooldown between free pack openings.
As for whether this strong launch is indicative of a future silver medallist for lifetime revenue in Pokémon's mobile catalogue, only time will tell.
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