Pokémon Go developer’s first game, Ingress, surges in Japan

Pokémon Go is so popular in Japan that some players are also diving into the studio’s other game as well.

Ingress, the GPS-powered location-based predecessor to Pokémon Go from developer Niantic, is the No. 6 most downloaded game in Japan, according to market-intelligence firm Sensor Tower. The game entered the top 10 in that country over the weekend following the release of the Google maps-enabled pocket-monster-catching app late last week. This resurgence for Ingress is unique to Japan, as the game is not in the top 50 in most other countries. Mobile gaming is a $36.9 billion business, and Pokémon Go is capturing a huge piece of that as No. 1 on both the download and grossing charts across iOS and Android in more than 30 regions around the world.