Pokémon Go most downloaded app on iOS in 2016

Pokmon Go was the most downloaded app on the iOS App Store in 2016, Apple has announced. Super Mario Run, which was also one of the top ten most downloaded apps of 2016, was the most downloaded app worldwide on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.

Other apps that made the top ten list include photo app Prisma, adventure game Reigns, sketching app Procreate, puzzle game Lumino City, workout app Sweat with Kayla and DJ music software djay Pro.

No mention was made of specific revenue figures for these apps, but the App Store as a whole made over $20bn in 2016, which is up more than 40 per cent from 2015. December was also a record-breaking month for Apple, with purchases topping $3bn.

2016 was a record-shattering year for the App Store, generating $20 billion for developers, and 2017 is off to a great start with Jan. 1 as the single biggest day ever on the App Store,” said Apple senior vice president of worldwide marketing Philip Schiller in a statementon Apple’s website.

We want to thank our entire developer community for the many innovative apps they have created — which together with our products — help to truly enrich people’s lives."

Pokmon Go’s impact wasn’t just felt on the Apple App Store last year. It was the most searched for term on Google in 2016, and it also helped drive sales of the Nintendo 3DS during its first week in the wild, with sales rising by over 200 per cent. It’s also likely that Pokmon Go was largely responsible for the enormous success of Pokmon Sun and Moon, which sold a whopping combined total of 1.5m units in their first week, making it the biggest launch in the entire franchise.

MCV recently spoke to Niantic’s marketing chief Mike Quigley about what the Pokmon Go developer will do next with its mobile smash hit.