Why is Pokemon GO so much more popular than other video games?

Answer 1

I think that the reason Pokemon GO is super popular is that it is a mixture of quirky and new, super accessible, inexpensive, happy memory, and fun. It is also something that appeals to all ages, and is easy to play. Although Niantic's previous game (Ingress) incorporated similar gameplay, as well as previous ideas such as Swarm (formerly Foursquare) in terms of real-world interactive games based on geography, none of the others were paired with games that were popular and fun in their own right, NOT because of that aspect of the game. So, gluing a really successful and popular franchise to this newer idea and making it free to acquire, on something that a lot of people have (cell phones), it was bound to become even bigger, among Ingress players, Swarm users, Pokemon fans, and of course among people to which all of the above is truly new.