Nintendo now bigger than Sony - all thanks to Pokémon Go

The Pokémon Go craze has been a massive boost to Nintendo's market value, which has this week even surpassed gaming giant Sony.

Nintendo's market value has now jumped above US$39 billion (NZ$55 billion) and has set a Japanese record for the most shares ever traded.

Yesterday Nintendo shares finished trading14 per cent higher, with the company's value doubling since the launch of Pokemon Go on July 9.

Last week the Herald reported Nintendo's share price had surged 10 per cent and was anticipating further market surges as the was released in to other countries.

This has all happened even before the game is released in Japan - its home market and the world's most valuable market for smartphone games. Pokemon Go is scheduled to roll-out in Japan on Friday.

Analysts had said they were surprised at how heavily the game had managed to drive additional in-game purchases.

In 2014 Google released a "Pokémon Challenge" with a promotional video for its Google Maps cohort - as a April Fool's joke - it has since set a number of records and is the top trending free game in the Apple App Store.

Nintendo is now NZ$2.1 billion dollars richer than its rival Sony.

Nintendo vs Sony market value:

Graphic / NZ Herald