Pokemon Go is a very popular game. In just the last few days the mobile title has quickly jumped to the top of both the Apple App Store and Google Play. It seems like everyone is playing the game, wandering around their neighborhood, phone stuck firmly in front of their face. But behind all of the fun is the business side of things, with Nintendo having struggled a bit in the last few years. Now things are looking way up with Nintendo stock surging by 25% in just a single day, and all because of the success of Pokemon Go.
Almost amazingly this is the highest single day rise for Nintendo stock since 1983, when they became synonymous with video games at the launch of the NES. And this followed another day of big gains, jumping about 9% on just the first day of release for Pokemon Go.
What adds even more fuel to this fire is the fact that Pokemon Go has yet to release worldwide. The app is currently only available in Australia, New Zealand, and the US. Other big markets have yet to see the game, including Europe and Japan. Once Pokemon Go drops in those areas we could see another big surge for both the stock and Nintendo’s business in general.
Of course many will say this is a big “I told you so” moment for critics of Nintendo. Many people have said for some time that the company should transition to mobile and other hardware spaces. However, the key thing to keep in mind is that this is a unique game, not just taking Pokemon Red and slapping it onto your smartphone. They’ve said for some time that mobile is an important place for them, but it requires a total rethink of their IP. Pokemon Go seems to prove this very well.
