Nintendo shares rise highest with Pokemon Go's success

Tokyo: The 'Pokemon Go' fever that has gripped smartphone users across the globe has led Japanese video game giant Nintendo to double its value at the Tokyo Stock Exchange on Tuesday. In the first half of the trading session, Nintendo appreciated 10.79 per cent, reaching $291 per share, little more than double of the $136 with which it closed on July 6 when the new game was just launched. Since July 7, the Kyoto-based company stocks have been revalued at 114.04 per cent. Its capitalisation has also doubled upto $37 billion representing a growth of around $19 billion in just a week and a half. This meteoric rise, highest experienced by the company in a decade, is due to the phenomenal success of the augmented reality game Pokemon Go that invites users to seek out fantastical creatures from real situations with the help of a mobile phone camera. The game has been the most downloaded app on iOS and Android stores where it is available in select countries like the US, Canada, New Zealand and almost entire Europe.