It should come as no surprise to anyone that The Pokemon Company is coming off of a pretty amazing financial year. Pokemon GO became a national phenomenon last summer and, despite the fact that many users have left the game, the frequent in-game events are enough motivation to keep a core base of players engaged and spending money. In addition to the mobile powerhouse, 2017 also saw the launch of Pokemon Sun and Moon for the 3DS. All of that positive press and powerful word of mouth led to an insane leap in profits compared to previous years.
Yesterday, The Pokemon Company released its recorded profits for the 2017 fiscal year and revealed a leap from last year's $5.6 million to a whooping $143.3 million. That kind of jump is the stuff that companies dream of and comparing the totals to the most recent five years confirms that this isn't just the result of last year being extra slow.
The profits for the most recent five years range between $5 million and just over $18 million. Those numbers are obviously on the higher end during the years when a new installment in the main series releases, but none of them come close to the $143 million that was earned this year. Clearly, Pokemon GO is the big game changer.
- 15th fiscal (for the year that ended on February 28, 2013): US$16.6 million
- 16th fiscal: US$10.6 million
- 17th fiscal: US$18.4 million
- 18th fiscal: US$5.6 million
- 19th fiscal: US$143.3 million
It will be very interesting to see what the next year looks like for The Pokemon Company. It is unlikely that Pokemon GO can climb back to its initial numbers, but it is still raking in some serious cash. If the company is able to release a Pokemon game for the Nintendo Switch in addition to the mobile revenue, it might be able to have another record breaking year.
Do you think The Pokemon Company can maintain this level of financial growth? Let us know in the comments.
Pokemon GO is currently available in select regions on Android and iOS devices.