The latest dating service for users of Pokemon GO that lets singles match with nearby trainers has seen 10,000 matches in just four days.
After the release of Pokemon GO earlier this month, many app developers are looking to use the massive success of the Nintendo game to their advantage, with tools like Pokemon-finding map apps and offline matchmaking services for Pokemon gamers popping up in the weeks after the game’s launch.
And three Dutch entrepreneurs have also jumped on the bandwagon, releasing PokeMatch – a new dating app for Pokemon GO users.
Labelled as “Tinder for Pokemon GO”, PokeMatch lets people swipe through profiles of other Pokemon GO fans, so they can match up and go Pokemon hunting together.
The app was beaten to the title of “first Pokemon dating service” by PokeDates, an offline matchmaking service by Chicago-based dating startup Project Fixup that lets singles explore their city with someone new while playing Pokemon GO.
However, PokeDates was an extension of an existing online matchmaking model & infrastructure, whereas the Dutch entrepreneurs’ PokeMatch is a standalone dating app for iOS and Android.
The idea for the app was dreamt up by founder Rene Roosen, who enlisted the help of San Francisco-based programmer Pim de Witte and entrepreneur Troy Osinoff to help build the app.
The team created the app in just three days, launching on Android and getting covered on Forbes & CBS.
And less than a week after launch, the app has already made 10,000 matches.
Speaking about the product, co-creator Pim de Witte said: “We’re seeing insane growth. Something I’ve never seen before is happening to us, and it is feeling kind of surreal. People are using our app all over the world.”
On Saturday, the team also released the iOS version of the app, with Osinoff saying the focus of the app has now changed: “Our objective since launch has expanded, from an app to find a date to an app to make connections. Pokemon GO has brought everyone outside to play Pokemon, our objective is to connect them.”
The founders said people aren’t just using the app to find dates, but to find other team members to play with, so the company added a new feature to help users find friends on the mobile app.
When users sign up, they can now say whether they are interested in men, women, both, other or “just looking for friends”, and can choose what team they are looking to connect with – Valour, Instinct, Mystic or any of the three.
Co-founder Pim de Witte said: “The reason this works is because you can instantly find like-minded people near you with a common interest within 1 minute, completely for free.
“It’s not just a hook-up app, Pokemon Go creates actual connections between people, and there are no costs to both people to go on the date, because the app is free and Pokemon go is free. That’s why it works.”