Canada Pension Plan sharing in Pokemon Go’s success

Pokemon Go’s popularity is benefiting Canadians – even those who aren’t playing the augmented-reality game.

Anyone who’s paying into the Canada Pension Plan should thank all the Pidgey-hunters out there: Nintendo’s stock has shot up, and CPP has invested in a lot of it.

READ MORE: Pokémon GO: What parents should know about playing safely

In its March 31, 2016 public disclosure, the CPP investment board revealed that they held 318,000 shares in the video game company, at the time worth about $59 million. After Pokemon Go’s launch, that stock is now worth more like $86 million.

WATCH: How Canadians are playing Pokemon Go before its release

0:53 How Canadians are playing Pokémon Go before its release

Nintendo isn’t the only video game company that CPP is invested in either. As of March 31, CPP owned:

• 470,000 shares in Blizzard Entertainment (makers of World of Warcraft and Overwatch), worth $21 million
• 402,000 shares in Electronic Arts (makers of the Battlefield and Sims series), worth $34 million
• 183,000 shares in Sega (makers of Sonic the Hedgehog), worth $3 million
• 387,000 shares in Ubisoft (makers of Assassin’s Creed and Far Cry), worth $16 million
• 553,000 shares in Konami (makers of Metal Gear Solid and Frogger), worth $21 million

The entire CPP fund was worth $278.9 billion as of March 31.

WATCH: Are you playing Pokemon GO? Everyone else is. Mike Le Couteur reports.

2:28 Are you playing Pokemon GO? Everyone else is.

With files from Monique Muise