It's interesting that a simple themed update can result in a revenue spike, no update to core functionality, just a few tweaks to the interface. It makes me wonder in what other applications an update like this can produce similar results.

Like a lot of my friends and coworkers, everyone was playing Pokemon Go and then they weren't.

It's a shame because it gave everyone a chance to be glue to their phones and be social in public. A game changing update like pokemon battles or PVP would rekindle my interest immediately.

It's possible these kinds of features are too risky for Nintendo given that Pokemon Sun and Moon are coming out in just a few weeks.

I think Ninantic's main issue with losing users is with not rolling out significant enough updates. There's no real sense of achievement in the game, and so when levels get particularly hard to move on from users lose interest in the game.

The main flaw is the inability to battle other players. The only battles are in the gyms and it becomes boring or too hard (the only gyms around me are protected by kids with way too much time in their hands and their pokemons are too strong for a filthy casual like me).

The same problem exists in Ingress as well if you live in even a moderately populated area. Ninantic's core issue (in my mind) is that the longer their games run, the less approachable they become. They haven't figured out a solution for Ingress, so I'm skeptical that they'll figure out one for Pokemon Go.

Granted, Ingress is a little more "hardcore" in the sense that it's not really focused at a more casual market like the Pokemon franchise generally is.

I couldn't agree more. There's no "end-game" and it's difficult to keep playing without an aim or target to continue achieving more.

It's funny, without PVP the kids must be wondering why any Pokémon other than Dragonite/Lapras/Vaporeon even exists.