Pokémon Go hit $600 million in consumer spending faster than any other mobile application to date, according to a new study from business intelligence company App Annie.
The App Annie "Q3 2016 Index" indicated Pokémon Go reached the $600 million consumer spending mark 2.5 times faster than Candy Crush Saga and 6.2 times faster than Clash of Clans.
In addition, App Annie noted 45 percent of the total time spent in the top 20 mobile games in the United States was committed to Pokémon Go in the three months following the mobile title's release.
Pokemon Go also beat out other popular games in average time played. In reviewing stats for the average time spent in the top 50 games in the third quarter of 2016, App Annie found that Pokémon Go amassed more than 18 times the average.
"Perhaps the most impressive feat was [Pokémon Go's] ability to single-handedly convert a massive amount of a user's non-mobile time to mobile time," App Annie wrote in its report. "Despite total time spent naturally decreasing in its third month, Pokémon Go still commands a gargantuan amount of time spent in-app relative to its peers."
Ultimately, Pokémon Go proved to be a game-changer in the mobile gaming space, and the title's success highlights the potential impact of augmented reality on mobile developers.
"Pokémon Go altered the playing field," App Annie noted. "It introduced augmented reality to the masses and paved the way for future AR and [virtual reality] opportunities in the app stores. Creative partnerships and monetization streams emerged as a natural progression from the game."
AR may provide mobile developers with the ability to differentiate themselves from rivals and could lead many game developers to explore innovative ways to interact with consumers as well.
"What game developers can learn from [Pokémon Go] is that they need to offer something new and different to engage today's audience," Jordan Edelson, CEO of mobile app development company Appetizer Mobile, told FierceDeveloper.
Furthermore, Pokémon Go may drive the mobile gaming sector's growth and create opportunities for mobile developers.
"As smartphones become more powerful, more of the world becomes connected and more of the big brands begin to fully understand how to take advantage of this platform, we're going to see more and more success stories like [Pokémon Go]. The market continues to get bigger, and the viral impact of a game like Pokémon Go can be tremendous," Graeme Barlow, director of marketing at mobile agency Iversoft Solutions, told FierceDeveloper.