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Pokémon Go Fest 2026 has proved not just to shatter attendance records, but to be quite lucrative
Niantic drew in over $15 million in a single day! It’s their second best day ever, but what does it mean for the game?
I think it’s fair to say that Pokémon is quite a lucrative franchise. It’s not often a card game has people kicking down the door of innocent shop owners to nick them, after all. But it’s not just in the physical game that Pokémon is raking in the dough! As aptly demonstrated by Pokémon Go Fest 2026, which saw Niantic’s hit AR creature collector not only bringing in massive attendance, but also raking in an estimated $15.1 million! That’s a bit shy of their record for a single day with $17 million, but a truly eye-watering number nonetheless!
And a pretty huge endorsement of Go’s ongoing popularity. Here comes the money
But, for however good that is for Niantic and Scopely, it’s a bit of a worrying trend in my opinion. We’ve all seen the reports of people having Pokémon cards nicked, and the ever-more lucrative merchandising of that adorable yellow rodent, Pikachu.
Are we perhaps losing something crucial about Pokémon, a franchise that has always tried to espouse that the titular creatures aren’t just tools? Maybe, or perhaps I’m just doing a bit of navel-gazing. It wouldn’t be the first time.
Either way, though, it does show that Pokémon Go has managed to really turn itself around after a significant dip post-Covid. For fans of the AR game, it’ll be encouraging news that it’s still raking in the dough, and it certainly suggests there’re more fans than ever flocking to their local public spaces to experience the wonder of Go Fest!
But what exactly was it like on the ground, for those of you who might not have been lucky enough to make your way there? Well, fortunately, our intrepid reporter, Jupiter Hadley, reported her experience at Pokémon Go Fest 2026! So go take a look at her coverage and find out what made this event one of the most popular yet. Iwan Morris
Iwan is a Cardiff-based freelance writer, who joined the Pocket Gamer Biz site fresh-faced from University before moving to the Pocketgamer.com editorial team in November of 2023.