Pokemon GO is a smartphone game released in 2016 that allows players to capture, battle, and train virtual Pokémon who appear throughout the real world.
The game is based on Nintendo’s long-running Pokémon video game franchise and was developed by Niantic, a company that spun out of Google with backing from Nintendo, the Pokémon Company, and Alphabet Inc.’s Google Ventures.
Pokemon GO quickly became a global phenomenon and one of the year’s hottest mobile games shortly after its release.
As of September 2018, the game had been downloaded over 850 million times worldwide and grossed over $2 billion in revenue.
Despite its massive success, the game has also been criticized for causing safety hazards and Distracting players from everyday life.
Nonetheless, it remains one of the most popular smartphone games ever made.