Almost unbelievably, the video game Pokemon Go has been downloaded enough times for one in seven people on the planet to have a copy.
Pokemon International, the company supplying the app, say they have had more than a billion downloads.
Of course, the number of downloads is not the same as the number of players.
Each player could have more than one gadget and many game players may have downloaded several times to upgrade their gadgets or add the app to new ones.
The company points out that the statistic is even more amazing because China, the world’s most populous country with a population approaching 1.5 billion has blocked the app to stop downloads.
Pokemon pockets $2.6 billion
The app is one of the most popular in the world, played by millions since the first release in July 2016.
But after zooming to 500 million downloads in just two months, the app has taken nearly three years to chalk up the second 500 million.
Regardless of the slow burn, the game has made a nifty $2.6 billion.
Pokemon is celebrating a community day with special Pokemon characters roaming parks and open spaces.
The day is set to kick off on August 3, 2019 between 4pm and 7 pm in any time zone.
The day will feature Ralts, bonus speedy egg hatches and three hour lures.
August community day
Players are encouraged to meet up with other competitors by linking up on social media sites, such as Facebook, Slack and WhatsApp. PokeNav will also help identify other players.
A special bonus for Pokemon players living near a time zone border is they can double up the community day bonus plays by crossing from one side to the other during game time.
A detailed guide about where to go and how to catch Pokemon on the community day is available on the Gamepress web site.
“Community Day is a full four hours, so pace yourself and take breaks to not get burnt out,” said a Gamepress spokesman. “Most importantly, keep it fun!
“Ralts will appear much more frequently in the wild during this time, and if you’re lucky, you might even find a Shiny Ralts!”