Say what you will about Pokemon Go potentially fading out, given developer Niantic's struggles with some of the game's core features (like directions that show you where the Pokemon you're trying to hunt might actually be). Plenty of people have spent money on in-app purchases to fuel their Pokemon hunting, and it's certainly possible that these might be encouraging them to keep playing. Why stop, after all, when you've already put down $10 (or more) for some in-game items?

According to a report from The Financial Times, Pokemon Go players in the United States, United Kingdom, and Germany spent more than $268 million in the game's first five weeks. That bodes well—for Niantic—given the company's desire to expand the game internationally as much as possible.

"Our research is showing that spend levels in five weeks in just three countries is over a quarter of a billion dollars. Start projecting that over time and across 72 countries where Pokémon Go is available and you'll see how quickly this will become a $1bn run-rate game," Stephen Harmston, global head of YouGov Reports, told The Financial Times.

Breaking those numbers out a bit, a YouGov report published today indicated that Pokemon Go has reached a total of around 10 million paying users in the United States since the game's launch. Of those paying to play, most (44 percent) spend anywhere from $1–20 in the app. A smaller number, 14 percent, only spend $0.99—presumably just to try out one purchase and that's it. Around 18 percent spend anywhere from $20–39.99 when playing Pokemon Go. And, yes, there are some stragglers (five percent) that admit to spending more than $100 to play the game.

"The question is: can other brands capitalize on AR games in the same way? Pokémon Go has two key advantages: a fan base built over almost 20 years and more than a dozen previous games, and franchise gameplay that is a natural fit for AR. These advantages are hard to duplicate, and given Pokémon Go's first mover advantage, we expect that only the largest franchises (think Star Wars and Harry Potter) could hope to achieve comparable success," said Dan Tochen, YouGov research director, in a statement.

Over in the UK, Pokemon Go has around one million paid users or so since the game's launch. The breakdown of how much people are willing to pay for in-game items looks similar, with most (around sixty percent) spending anywhere from £0.80–14.99 on their purchases (approximately $1–19 or so, given today's exchange rates).

"The research suggested some slight variance in the age demographic of players, with the game being slightly more popular among younger people than in Britain," reads YouGov's report.

For more, check out Pokemon Go: How to Get Started and Catch 'Em All and 18 Completely Inappropriate Places to Play Pokemon Go