It is official. Pokemon games own the mobile market and nothing is going to touch them. At least that is how it seems this week after Pokemon Masters officially announced that it had achieved over 10 million downloads only four days after the game’s initial release on the Apple and Google Play Stores.
Of course, the game’s success is nothing compared to what 2016’s Pokemon Go experienced at first, but then again, nothing ever is. (And perhaps nothing ever will be? At least for the time being.) But 10 million downloads is nothing to scoff at, and the fact those downloads are coming to yet another Pokemon title probably means that the fans really crave new Pokemon games more than anything else.
Oddly enough, however, Pokemon Masters is not about the Pokemon as much as it is about the masters who wield them in battle. Here’s how.
The game revolves around earning different Pokemon masters (that is, different Pokemon trainers) and then using them to fight against other players. Sound confusing? Well, it is. The trainers are not fighting themselves, but they are using their own pokemon to fight against each other. Each trainer comes with their own strengths and weaknesses.
The masters are earned through a gacha-style system, which is the Japanese game where players earn randomized items, characters, or cards. In this case, however, it is about earning different trainers. Some are rarer than others.
The way the Pokemon tie in is like this. Each trainer has a “sync pair,” which is just a Pokemon they are able to sync up with. The game requires the player to sync their trainers with specific Pokemon who can use the Pokemon in certain ways in battle. Then the player will use three of their sync pairs to engage in combat.
The news about the number of downloads came only four days after the initial game release. The number of downloads includes both the Apple Store and the Google Play Store.
Although the number should not be much of a surprise to anyone paying attention to industry developments. Even before its release on August 29th of last week Pokemon Masters had 5 million pre-registered users. The game is currently #3 on the Apple Store’s free games chart and number one on Google Play’s Store.
If you happen to be a fan of Pokemon inspired mobile games, pick up Pokemon Masters. The game is currently free but it also includes microtransactions and in-app purchases. Have fun.
