Monday 11 July 2016 10:18 am

Pokemon Go is bigger than Tinder (and catching Twitter)

The popularity of new mobile game Pokemon Go is sweeping across the US just days after its release.

Yep, if you've managed to bypass the madness, the 90s kids cartoon and Nintendo game favourite led by Pikachu is back and in a very 21st century way – in the form of a mobile game apparently more addictive than Candy Crush.

Nintendo shares have surged again – up nearly 25 per cent on Monday morning in Tokyo – after previous gains at the end of last week, and a roll-out to more markets (including the UK) has had to be put on hold, such is the demand.

And if that weren't enough to show just how big the craze is (among adults as well as kids, it must be said), there are some pretty astounding stats that put it in context.

More people in the US with Android smartphones now have the Pokemon Go game installed than the defining dating app of a generation, Tinder.

According to the analysis by SimilarWeb, just two days after its release, the game was on more than five per cent of all Androids phones in the country.

As if that wasn't surprising enough, so successful is the game, that it's almost overtaken Twitter in terms of user numbers. Poor old Twitter… The firm believes it's just a matter of time until Pokemon surpasses it.

It also notes people are spending more time each day on the app than WhatsApp, Instagram, Snapchat, or Facebook Messenger.

Nintendo, along with game developer Niantic and the Pokemon Company, has created a monster – in more ways than one.

Of course, the question is whether that momentum can be sustained beyond the initial interest an whether users will pay for in-app purchases in the free game so the games makers can capitalise on the wave of interest.