Niantic has been continuously striving to improve every aspect of its global iOS and Android hit Pokémon GO since it’s launch in 2016 and it seems that all the hard work is paying off.
On its official blog post, Niantic commended the hundreds of thousands of players that gathered at its events in Germany, Japan, and the US throughout the year. During the latest of these events, Japan’s Safari Zone, millions of online players from across the globe collaborated to complete Professor Willow’s Global Research Challenges.
With these in mind along with the colossal figures announced during the summer, it’s no surprise that Niantic’s flagship title Pokémon GO has seen a 35% increase in usage since May of this year. Coinciding with this significant jump Niantic has revealed that more than 113 million Friend connections have been made within the mobile app and a whopping 2.2 billion gifts have been sent since these features were introduced back in June.
More features are lined up for Pokémon GO as Niantic continues to expand almost every aspect of the game. A collaboration with Knight Foundation is geared up to bring positive impact to communities through the use of Pokémon GO via the Fellowship program while the game itself will soon see a host of generation 1 legendaries taking to the skies.
Pokémon GO is available now on iOS and Android, and will also be integrated as part of Nintendo’s upcoming return to Kanto in Pokémon Let’s Go: Pikachu! and Pokémon Let’s Go: Eevee!