‘Pokemon Go’ fans say maker heard their gripes

Few games have enjoyed both the meteoric rise — and subsequent fall — in popularity as “Pokemon Go.”

But the game remains profitable, and people are still playing even if they aren’t the same masses that roamed parks last summer with eyes glued to smartphones, looking for elusive virtual monsters from their childhood to appear right in front of them.

“It kind of brings people together to have a conversation about these little cartoon characters that we’re all in love with,” said Brian Swain, a sales representative for Rockstar energy drink who has stuck with “Pokemon Go” since it launched last July.

While past its heyday last summer, when some small businesses and landmarks had complained of disruptive crowds, the game has seen renewed interest after last month’s addition of 80 Pokemon and in-game events set around holidays.

The updates addressed complaints about a lack of updates that contributed to a drop in monthly active users, according to app market analyst Apptopia.

“Over time, the enthusiasm has waned, but there’s still quite a bit of people playing it,” said Joost van Dreunen, the CEO and founder of SuperData Research in New York. “It raises the question: Was it a fad, a thing we only did one time for one game, or is it going to hold people’s attention longer?”

The game had generated $1 billion in revenue as of January, and Niantic CEO John Hanke insists “Pokemon Go” is no passing fad.

The game — whose servers had