Niantic overtakes King as top game app developer in 45 countries

Pokémon Go creator Niantic now represents the top game app developer in 45 countries, according to new data from website traffic and mobile app analytics provider SimilarWeb.

Niantic also officially overtook King, the app developer behind Candy Crush Saga, as the world's top game app developer in July.

"It's clear that Niantic is now the golden standard in developing game apps, and we should see their reach continue to grow as [Pokémon Go] is rolled out in more and more countries," SimilarWeb Digital Insights and Content Manager Joseph Schwartz wrote in a blog post.

 
  • Gaming serves as the most lucrative app industry, and game apps generate more than 80 percent of overall app revenue.
     
  • King represents the top game app developer in 39 countries.
     
  • Outfit7, creator of developer apps such as My Talking Tom, ranked third among the world's most popular game app developers and was the top game app developer in 30 countries.

In addition, Schwartz pointed out Niantic's value may already exceed $10 billion, and the app developer's value could continue to rise.

"Clearly, huge corporations from around the globe see app developers as a top revenue source," Schwartz noted.

So what can app developers learn from Pokémon Go's success?

Pokémon Go highlights the importance of app user engagement, as it delivers a distinct augmented reality (AR) experience.

Moreover, Pokémon Go shows how engaging mobile gamers can help an app developer boost its app retention levels quickly -- something that is exceedingly important for app developers worldwide.

"In this crowded app market, retention is of the utmost [importance]," Schwartz pointed out. 

For more:
- see the data

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