According to a report from VentureBeat, U.S.-based Niantic, the company behind the mobile and augmented reality gaming behemoth Pokémon Go, is publicizing its growing role in the global tourism industry.
The success of Pokémon Go and other “walking games” has, according to that report, fueled around $249 million in “tourism revenue for the cities on its event list for 2019.” The event list refers to locations where the company holds live events related to those games, which require on-the-ground, geographically-specific interaction from players in order to gather points and other rewards.
Last year, those events reportedly took place 77 times in 32 countries, attracting around 2.7 million people from around 60 countries. “The company estimated the total impact for the cities hosting the events were $120 million for Chicago, $71 million for Montreal, and $54 million for Dortmund, Germany,” the report said. “This means that Niantic has done something unique in gaming. Through large-scale live events, hundreds of thousands of players from around the world have come together to play games, explore the world, and share experiences.”
Niantic said that for 2020, it has added St. Louis, Philadelphia and Liverpool to the gaming event list.
Gaming is now moving further into the real, physical, even brick-and-mortar world via other avenues, some of which could prove to be important with a bit of skill and luck from backers.
Digital and mobile forms of gaming would take various forms in 2020, and with the rise of augmented reality and other technologies, it’s easy to witness further in these areas.
Tags: Global tourism industry
