Abstract

This case is about Pokémon GO, a free to play augmented reality game for iOS and Android smart devices in which players had to physically move around the real world in order to capture Pokémons The game was a hit across 45 countries and was getting ready for release in more countries. The companies associated with the creation of the game experienced a phenomenal growth in their profits. But there were complaints from many countries about the side effects of playing Pokémon Go. Many players became victims of accidents and robberies, a few even lost their lives while playing the game. There were technical issues with the game and device performance like fast draining of battery, hiccups in performance like lagging of phone, and data consumption. Nevertheless, the game was a huge success with people of all ages and players were seen searching for Pokémon with their mobile cameras at public places in the countries where the game had been released. Niantic and Nintendo adopted the influencer marketing strategy to promote the game by releasing teaser videos through gaming channels. While the game was considered a disruptor in gaming technology and reality gaming, the companies behind the game encountered several issues and challenges going forward.

Learning Objectives

The case is structured to achieve the following Learning Objectives:

• Understand the importance of innovation and utilizing innovation in disrupting the industry.
• Appreciate a company’s strategy of market disruption and the compulsions, the risks, and the rewards.
• Gain insights into the challenges faced by companies operating in fast-evolving, high technology, people-intensive industries like digital technology.
• Identify the various options available for growth for a digital company in a developing market and appreciate the importance of having the right investors, entering into the right partnerships and alliances, and choosing the right markets.
• Understand influencer marketing and formulating effective influencer marketing strategies.

Keywords

Innovation, Disruptive innovation, digital technology, Mobile gaming, Influencer marketing, Digital marketing, Pokemon Go, Japan