Nintendo's phenomenal augmented-reality game 'Pokemon GO' Japan release has been delayed while the rest of the Asian countries eagerly await the game's release over the next few days. Recent rumours suggested that the game would hit Japan on 20 July, but the leaked communication email from McDonald's (Japan) regarding the impending launch has forced Nintendo to delay the release in Pokemon's birthplace.
Pokemon GO is currently live on game servers across 30 countries including the US, Canada and 26 countries in Europe. With the Japanese release being pushed back, avid Pokemon fans in the country will be immensely disappointed.
This should come as a shocker to Pokemon fans in Japan, after an extended delay due to the peak server loads and technical constraints faced by Nintendo in its quest for a seamless global release.
Here is what Niantic's CEO John Hanke said regarding the game's global release status:
"We expect it to be released by the end of July."
Pokemon GO's Japan launch will kick-off the debut of first sponsored location in association with McDonald's, which owns the world's largest chain of hamburger fast-food restaurants. With McDonald's being Nintendo's first official partner to sponsor locations in the game, Pokemon fans will be greeted with more Gyms and PokeStops from a chain of retail-store partners in the near future.
Consequently, McDonald's alone would be contributing to around 3,000 plus fast-food restaurants turned into Pokemon Gyms wherein trained Pokemons would battle for supremacy as players try to capture Gyms or defend their own against the invading teams.
Various reports now confirm through official sources that the rest of the Asian countries including Singapore, Malaysia, India and China, as well as the rest of the world would be receiving the game either this week or in the next week.
Update #1: Several Asian countries including Singapore, India, Japan and Indonesia have been added to the Pokemon GO server list in the last few hours. Check out the complete list here.
Check out the global or worldwide list of countries where Pokemon GO app is now officially live on the game servers:
- Austria
- Australia
- Belgium
- Bulgaria
- Cameroun
- Cote d'Ivoire
- Croatia
- Cyprus
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Estonia
- Finland
- Germany
- Guinea Equatoriale
- Guinea
- Greece
- Greenland
- Hungary
- Italy
- Iceland
- Ireland
- Liechtenstein
- Latvia
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Maroc
- Montenegro
- Malta
- Netherlands
- New Zealand
- Norway
- Portugal
- Poland
- Romania
- Republique Centrafricaine
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- UK
- United States
Curious and restless Pokemon fans can also check out the release status for Pokemon GO in various countries across the globe using this website, which updates the status in real-time. Those residing in any of the Asian countries may check the availability of the game using the Reddit thread titled 'Pokemon GO Release Status – Asia'.
Also, check out our step-by-step guide: How to play Pokemon GO in Singapore and other countries before game release and a bunch of tutorials with tips and tricks here.
