• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
TechFortune 500

Pokémon Go Shatters Apple App Store Record

By
Jonathan Vanian
Jonathan Vanian
Down Arrow Button Icon
July 22, 2016, 6:48 PM ET
Photograph by Getty Images

The phenomenon that is Pokémon Go just keeps on going.

The popular mobile game brought in more downloads during its first week of release on the Apple App store than all other apps during their first week released on the store, Apple (AAPL) said Friday, confirming a report from gaming website Polygon.

Pokémon Go, which premiered on July 5, has won over millions of people who are drawn to the way it overlays digital graphics of adorable looking monsters onto the real world.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

Apple did not disclose any specific data about how many times people downloaded Pokémon Go or the previous record. But research firm Sensor Tower said Thursday that the number of Pokémon Go downloads in its first week dwarfs other popular apps during their first week of release.

Whereas Angry Birds 2 and Candy Crush Jelly Saga brought in 2.2 million and 1.8 million downloads respectively during their first week on the App store, Pokémon Go had a whopping 7.2 million downloads, according to the Sensor Tower data.

Additionally, Sensor Tower’s mobile insights head Randy Nelson told Fortune that since being released, Pokémon Go has been downloaded on both the App store and Google Play over 40 million times “and has earned more than $45 million in net revenue worldwide” from the two app store services.

“[Pokémon Go] is still being played an average of 30 minutes per day in the U.S. on iOS, which is more than Facebook’s average of 22 total minutes per day in the country,” wrote Nelson in an email.

But amid all those downloads and game playing, many Pokémon Go users have had trouble getting the app to work correctly and have complained via Twitter that the game’s servers have been going offline.

Trainers! We have been working to fix the #PokemonGO server issues. Thank you for your patience. We'll post an update soon.

— Pokémon GO (@PokemonGoApp) July 16, 2016

Nintendo and software development company Niantic created the Pokémon Go game. Niantic started off as an internal startup in Google (GOOG) and was spun out last year into a separate business.

For more about Pokémon Go, watch:

Google’s top cloud computing leader Diane Greene hinted that Pokémon Go runs on Google’s cloud service during Fortune’s recent Brainstorm Tech conference, which could indicate that Google’s servers are helping run the game and are occasionally going offline due to the game’s popularity.

Google's Diane Greene: "Whoever is doing Pokemon Go is doing an awesome job." (hint: it's her team) #FortuneTech

— Dan Primack (@danprimack) July 11, 2016

Also on Friday, Niantic and Nintendo finally released Pokémon Go in Japan after a long wait. As part of the Japanese release, McDonald’s Japan said that roughly 3,000 of its fast-food shops would become special gaming locations where players can battle with or “train” their Pokémon creatures, according to a Reuters report.

About the Author
By Jonathan Vanian
LinkedIn iconTwitter icon

Jonathan Vanian is a former Fortune reporter. He covered business technology, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, data privacy, and other topics.

See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Success
  • Tech
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Environment
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Health
  • Retail
  • Lifestyle
  • Politics
  • Newsletters
  • Magazine
  • Features
  • Commentary
  • Mpw
  • CEO Initiative
  • Conferences
  • Personal Finance
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map

Latest in Tech

AIEye on AI
Silicon Valley’s tone-deaf take on the AI backlash will matter in 2026
By Sharon GoldmanDecember 23, 2025
5 hours ago
Young rich woman in front of plane
SuccessBillionaires
There are more self-made billionaires under 30 than ever before—11 of them have made the ultra-wealthy club in the last 3 months thanks to AI
By Emma BurleighDecember 23, 2025
7 hours ago
ChatGPT Atlas illustration.
AISecurity
OpenAI says prompt injections that can trick AI browsers like ChatGPT Atlas may never be fully ‘solved’—experts say risks are ‘a feature not a bug’
By Beatrice NolanDecember 23, 2025
7 hours ago
SuccessSmall Business
10 crucial insights for small business owners to succeed in 2026—and beyond
By Ashley LutzDecember 23, 2025
8 hours ago
Photo of Sam Altman
SuccessCareers
OpenAI’s CEO Sam Altman says in 10 years’ time college graduates will be working ‘some completely new, exciting, super well-paid’ job in space
By Preston ForeDecember 23, 2025
9 hours ago
Kurian
AIGoogle
Google Cloud chief reveals the long game: a decade of silicon and the energy battle behind the AI boom
By Nick LichtenbergDecember 23, 2025
9 hours ago

© 2025 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.


Most Popular

placeholder alt text
Success
Billionaire philanthropy's growing divide: Mark Zuckerberg stops funding immigration reform as MacKenzie Scott doubles down on DEI
By Ashley LutzDecember 22, 2025
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Success
Former U.S. Secret Service agent says bringing your authentic self to work stifles teamwork: 'You don’t get high performers, you get sloppiness'
By Sydney LakeDecember 22, 2025
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Travel & Leisure
After pouring $450 million into Florida real estate, Larry Ellison plans to lure the ultrarich to an exclusive town just minutes from Mar-a-Lago
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezDecember 22, 2025
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
Mitt Romney says the U.S. is on a cliff—and taxing the rich is now necessary 'given the magnitude of our national debt'
By Dave SmithDecember 22, 2025
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Success
Multimillionaire musician Will.i.am says work-life balance is for people ‘working on someone else’s dream’ and not for visionaries—he grinds from 5-to-9 after his 9-to-5
By Orianna Rosa RoyleDecember 21, 2025
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Future of Work
Meet a 55-year-old automotive technician in Arkansas who didn’t care if his kids went to college: ‘There are options’
By Muskaan ArshadDecember 21, 2025
3 days ago