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Apple could make up to $3 billion from 'Pokémon Go' over the next two years

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Everyone’s crazy about Pokémon Go, which has turned into a virtual gold mine for Nintendo. But the company isn’t catching them all when it comes to revenue, as estimates now place Apple’s cut at a staggering $3 billion over the next two years.

The somewhat unexpected windfall for Apple comes due to its App Store policies. Apple gets a 30 percent cut of all sales, regardless of whether you’re a small-time developer or a multibillion-dollar corporation like Nintendo. Needham & Company analyst Laura Martin says her research indicates that Pokémon is doing better than other previous iOS gaming hits, leading her to forecast big-time revenue.

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“As background, Candy Crush generated more than $1B of revenue in each of 2013 and 2014, and Pokémon Go’s ratio of paid users to total users is 10 [times] higher,” Martin is quoted as saying in a research note by 9to5Mac. If she’s right, the popular game might account for a significant portion of App Store revenue in 2016.

App Store revenues were about $20 billion for all of 2015. While it seems a bit insane to think a single game could account for 15 percent of App Store revenue, just take a look at how addictive the game has become for many. Add in options like buying $150 worth of PokéCoins, and it just might be possible.

Besides the windfall for Apple, Pokémon Go is also changing the fortunes for its parent company. Nintendo is now worth $42.5 billion, double what it was before the game’s release. The company set a record on the Tokyo stock exchange Friday for the most stock trading in a single company in one day this century, The Verge reports.

Of course, investors could also be responding to Nintendo’s announcement of a special edition of the original NES coming this holiday. From the public response, that looks to be a surefire hit — so the best days for Nintendo might yet be to come.

Ed Oswald
For fifteen years, Ed has written about the latest and greatest in gadgets and technology trends. At Digital Trends, he's…
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