It should come as no surprise to players frustrated with overloaded servers, or anyone who’s seen hordes of people catching Pokemon in the streets, that Pokemon Go is kind of a big deal.
How big? Pokemon Go set a new Apple record as the app with the most App Store downloads in its first week. Ever. Apple confirmed the record, but didn’t have any specific numbers to share.
Shortly after its July 6 debut, Pokemon Go shot to the top of the App Store’s top free apps charts and has stayed there ever since. The Poke-effect has impacted other apps as well. The third most download free app in the U.S. is currently Poke Radar, an app which helps Pokemon Go users find nearby Pokemon.
It’s also the top free app in the Google Play store.
Earlier this week, an analyst at Needham & Co estimated that Pokemon Go could bring in $3 billion in revenue for Apple over the next one to two years. Though the game is free, Apple and Google get a cut of any in-app purchases. Needham also said there were more iOS than Android Pokemon Go downloads, according to mobile researchers.
People are playing Pokemon Go longer than most apps, as well. According to research firm SensorTower, users spend more time on average inside Pokemon Go than they do in top apps such as Facebook, Snapchat and Twitter. The firm also says it has already earned more than $35 million in net revenue.
