According to a report by Mobilegamer.biz, developer Niantic only made $34.7 million in April for the popular AR mobile game Pokémon GO. These are the lowest figures the title has made in the past five years.
Although it’s not quite as much of a setback as it appears, given that GO still sits in the top 12 of the highest-grossing mobile games globally, this drop pales compared to March’s revenue of $42.8 million and February’s revenue of $57.9 million.
Even as in-game events and seasonal updates change the revenue, this 40% drop in just two months is incredibly steep for a game that is so successful.
The biggest reason for the dip in profits is none other than the heavy revisions to the Remote Raid system, changes that some players have called a “disability tax.”
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, as a way for players to partake in Raids without leaving their residences, Remote Raids were introduced to Pokémon GO. The convenience extended to those suffering from disabilities that would make traveling outside of their neighborhood difficult in spite of the pandemic.
Unfortunately, Niantic made an announcement on March 30 that Remote Raid Passes would be increasing in price, and the number of Remote Raids per day would be capped at five.
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To defend such a radical decision, Niantic posted on social media that this was “a necessary step towards [its] goal of preserving and improving the unique experience of playing Pokemon GO.” They went on to say that Remote Raid Passes ended up being the dominant way to play in a manner that was never intended, given that the whole point is to go out into the real world.