Pokemon Go in decline, reaches its peak, say analysts

NEW YORK — Pokemon Go is starting to lose the battle for mobile mindshare, according to Axiom Capital Management.

As such, investors and executives at Facebook, Instagram, Tinder, Twitter, and Snapchat can breathe a sigh of relief, says Senior Analyst Victor Anthony.

“Given the rapid rise in usage of the Pokemon Go app since the launch in July, investors have been concerned that this new user experience has been detracting from time spent on other mobile-focused apps,” he writes.

Enthusiasm about the potential for Pokemon Go (and augmented reality gaming in general) to improve Nintendo’s financial performance sent shares parabolic after the app launched in the US, and even spurred rallies in secondary plays linked to the success of the game.

Data from Sensor Tower, SurveyMonkey, and Apptopia, however, show that Pokemon Go’s daily active users, downloads, engagement, and time spent on the app per day are all well off their peaks and on a downward trend.

“The declining trends should assuage investor concerns about the impact of Pokemon Go on time spent on the above named companies,” writes Mr Anthony.

If these declines prove enduring, this would cast aspersion not only on the viability and popularity of Pokemon Go, but augmented reality gaming at large, according to the analyst.

“The Google Trends data is already showing declining interest in augmented reality, whereas interest in virtual reality remains high,” he concludes. BLOOMBERG