Everything You Need to Know About Pokémon Go, the App That Earned $200 Million in its First Month Search no further, we have compiled the good, the bad and the ugly of the mobile sensation.
By Grace Reader
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Seemingly out of nowhere, people across the United States and other countries around the world could be found walking around with their faces in their smartphone screens. That's the norm nowadays, except these smartphone users weren't on social media. They were "capturing" imaginary creatures overlaid on the real world with the augmented reality game Pokémon Go.
Here's a timeline of the phenomenon (it will be updated regularly):
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Bloomberg | Getty ImagesJuly 6, 2016
Pokémon Go is released by Nintendo. Let the madness begin.
Kevork Djansezian | Getty ImagesJuly 8, 2016
After two days, Nintendo's market value soars to $7.5 billion. In the United States, the game is already installed on more than 5 percent of Android devices, according to web analytics firm SimilarWeb.
Read: Pokemon Game Adds $7.5 Billion to Nintendo Market Value in Two Days
Elizabeth W. Kearley | Getty ImagesJuly 11, 2016
Craziness ensues. A man catches Pokémon while his wife gives birth, a user of the app discovers a dead body, robbers exploit players through the game, players get hurt (and sore) and dogs get walked more because of the game.
Read: 8 Weird Reasons Pokémon Go Isn't the Game Craze We're Used To
Bloomberg | Getty ImagesJuly 13, 2016
Business owners figure out that they can "lure" Pokémon to their locations, in turn luring customers. Companies use tactics such as social media, whiteboards, luring and even charging stations to bring in new Pokécustomers.
Read: How Entrepreneurs Are Cashing in on Pokémon Go and
3 Ways to Level Up Your Marketing With Pokemon Go
Olivia Harris | Getty ImagesJuly 13, 2016
The augmented reality game has "Pokéstops" that allow you to lure more Pokémon to your area. Some of those stops happen to be in a police station, museums and even churches. Just seven days after Pokémon Go is released to the public, cemeteries, police stations and museums have to figure out how to handle the influx of people -- or in some cases, (like that of the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C.,) keep them out.
Read: How Cemeteries, Police and the Holocaust Museum are Coping With Pokemon Go Fever
TORU YAMANAKA | Getty ImagesJuly 14, 2016
A possible leak shows that McDonald's and Nintendo could have a deal in the works that would give McDonald's locations sponsored status.
Read: Pokémon Gamers Could Soon be Flocking to McDonald's
Olivia Harris | Getty ImagesJuly 14, 2016
More craziness ensues. Players are catching Pokémon while driving and at funerals, and in one instance, the app helps a woman discover her boyfriend had been cheating on her.
Read: The 5 Most Ridiculous Pokémon Go Stories of the Week
Bloomberg | Getty ImagesJuly 15, 2016
T-Mobile announces that it would be giving users of the app unlimited data until August of next year along with a free Wendy's frosty, a free Lyft ride up to $15 and a 50 percent discount on some accessories.
Read: T-Mobile Exempts 'Pokemon Go' From Data Caps
Drew Angerer | Getty ImagesJuly 18, 2016
OurMine, the group best known for hacking Mark Zuckerberg, Sundar Pichai and Jack Dorsey's social media accounts, claimed that they took the game offline. The three-person team also offered their services to Niantic to help them better protect their servers.
Read: Hackers Claim Responsibility for Attack on Pokémon Go Servers
July 19, 2016
Pokémon Go takes over India, where you can be hired to be a professional Pokémon catcher. Babajob offers the position as an official job title.
Read: Pokémon Craze Takes Over India: Get Hired To Be a Professional Pokémon Catcher
YOSHIKAZU TSUNO | Getty ImagesJuly 20, 2016
Is the fad wearing off? Nintendo shares more than doubled after Pokémon Go was released but on this day shares slip.
Read: Nintendo Shares are Getting Destroyed as the Pokémon Go Effect Wears Off
AFP | Getty ImagesJuly 20, 2016
A driver playing Pokémon Go hits a police car in Baltimore. The police captured the accident on camera and posted it to social media.
Read: PokéDriver Hits Cop Car (Video)
Tomohiro Ohsumi | Getty ImagesJuly 22, 2016
Pokémon Go is released in Japan with its first official sponsor, McDonald's. The sponsorship would make McDonald's locations Pokémon gyms. Within four hours of launch, Pokémon Go was the most downloaded app in Japan.
Read: Pokemon Go launches in Japan with McDonald's as 1st sponsor
July 25, 2016
Nintendo shares plummet after the company releases a statement saying it owns only 32 percent of the Pokémon company and that Pokémon Go is actually a collaboration between The Pokémon Company and Niantic Labs.
Read: Nintendo shares plummet after investors realize it doesn't actually make Pokémon Go
Robert Cianflone | Getty ImagesJuly 26, 2016
Pokémon Go players have flooded parks, monuments and churches to catch Pokémon -- but the Cologne Cathedral doesn't want to play. The Catholic cathedral has hired a lawyer to take action against Niantic after the game manufacturer allegedly ignored requests for the church to be excluded from the game.
Drew Angerer | Getty ImagesJuly 27, 2016
Pokémon Go loses its ranking as the number-one free iPhone app. Bitmoji claims the spot.
See: Pokémon Go has been dethroned as the top free iPhone app
David McNew | Getty ImagesJuly 27, 2016
Nintendo Co. Ltd. announces a first quarter loss. Pokémon Go was not included in the first quarter report. The company also announced the release of its Pokémon Go accessory would be delayed.
See: Nintendo Posts First-Quarter Loss, Delays Launch of Accessory for Pokémon Go
REMKO DE WAAL | Getty ImagesJuly 28, 2016
The Mayor of Dusseldorf closed off an entire bridge to protect Pokémon players (from as far as Holland) who are flooding to the Pokéstops at each end of the bridge. The city has even brought in portable toilets and extra trash cans to accommodate players.
See: German Mayor Closes Bridge Just For Pokémon Go Players
Lam Yik Fei | Getty ImagesJuly 28, 2016
Pokémon Go players are flooding a park to commemorate the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima to catch monsters at Pokéstops, and city officials are hoping to put an end to it.
The city reached out to Niantic Inc., Pokémon Go's developer, to be excluded from the game by Aug. 6, when the ceremony to remember the victims of the 1945 bombing is scheduled to take place.
See: Hiroshima unhappy atomic-bomb park is 'Pokemon Go' site
PC/Baure-Griffin | Getty ImagesAug. 1, 2016
Three teenagers were robbed at gunpoint in a London Park while playing Pokémon Go, according to British police.
The two robbers, one of which was armed with a handgun and expected to be around 16 to 17 years of age, demanded the players' hand over the phones. No one was harmed, including the Pokémon.
See: Pokemon GO players robbed at gunpoint in London park
Matthew Stockman | Getty ImagesAug. 1, 2016
The Zika Virus, water pollution, heightened fears of terrorism, lack of plumbing and electricity at the athletes' village. These are totally non-issues compared to a lack of Pokémon Go.
The game has not been released in Brazil, which has some Olympic athletes complaining.
Talk about first-world problems.
See: What's troubling athletes arriving in Rio? No 'Pokemon Go'
Tomohiro Ohsumi | Getty ImagesAug. 1, 2016
The Israeli army has banned soldiers from playing Pokémon Go on military bases due to security concerns.
The army's concern is the possibility of soldiers downloading fake apps, causing information from the player's phones to be leaked.
See: Israeli army identifies a new threat: 'Pokemon Go'
Robert Nickelsberg | Getty ImagesAug. 1, 2016
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is working to keep children safe while they play Pokémon Go. The governor asked state authorities to prevent nearly 3,000 registered sex offenders who are on parole from playing the augmented reality game.
He also sent a letter to Niantic, the game's developer, asking them to do the same.
See: New York bans registered sex offenders from playing Pokémon Go
Lam Yik Fei | Getty ImagesAug. 2, 2016
Pokémon Go has now been installed more than 100 million times, according to App Annie.
People are spending money to play too. The game brings in more than $10 million daily just three weeks after its release.
See: 'Pokémon Go' hits 100 million downloads
Pacific Press | Getty ImagesAug. 4, 2016
Starbucks has hopped on the Pokémon Go craze, offering Pokémon themed drinks and snacks.
The most noteable creation comes out of New Zealand, the Pokéball frappuccino, but other locations have also been creating cake pops and an even an "Eevee" frappuccino.
See: You Can Now Make Pokémon Go Themed Frappuccinos at StarbucksThe pokeball frapp @Starbucks pic.twitter.com/jEEErpLk4U
— Char?es (@Charlie22bogh) July 15, 2016
Atta Kenare | Getty ImagesAug. 6, 2016
Iran has become the first country to ban Pokémon Go, citing "security concerns," but did not elaborate further.
See: Iran is First Country to Ban Pokemon Go
Anadolu Agency | Getty ImagesAug. 8, 2016
Pokémon Go has eclipsed popular mobile games Candy Crush and Clash Royale by raking in $200 million in net revenue globally on iPhones and Androids in its first month, according to App intelligence firm Sensor Tower.
See: "Pokemon Go' earns $200 million in first month, beating "Candy Crush'
Daniel Boczarski | Getty ImagesSept. 2, 2016
Everyone needs a buddy.
Programmers who dug into Pokémon Go's source code found that players may soon be able to walk with a single pocket monster at once, effectively creating a buddy system. The system will apparently award players with candy, which can be used to evolve Pokémon.
There's no word on whether this feature will actually make it into the game at this time.
See: Report: Pokémon Go "buddy system' could let trainers bond with Pokémon
