McDonald’s Just Became the First Major Company to Partner With Pokémon Go

Players began tweeting about it as soon as it was available Friday morning, and the Pokemon Co. and the developer of the augmented reality game, USA -based Niantic Inc., confirmed its launch.

“We are truly happy that we have been able to bring this to Japan, where Pokemon was born”, Niantic announced on its blog. – See more at HERE.

Apple is facing a pay day because they keep a certain percentage of any purchase made inside their app store, which could be as high as 30 percent. So is Pokemon Go down right now? And, when you consider that Pokemon originated in Japan years ago, gamers are going to feel a certain type of way if their expectations aren’t met. Financially, it might not be as much as one would think.

The game has caused a number of incidents globally since its debut earlier this month, including teenagers trespassing a nuclear power plant in the USA and people getting robbed while trying to catch virtual Pokemon creatures in secluded places.

And, as Niantic confirmed Pokemon GO will be released in Japan soon, the country’s government is prepping citizens for whatever fallout could come from the game.

Up to Tuesday’s close, Apple’s shares had gained 5 percent in market value, or about $25 billion, since the launch of the game in the United States on June 6.

Apple, on the other hand, has gained only about $2 billion in market cap since the launch of the game and could see a continued earnings tailwind in the future. “Although the success of Pokemon Go could accelerate the shift away from console gaming, the share-price rise is based on the potential for Nintendo as a whole in mobile gaming, including Pokemon, Mario and Zelda”, he says.

The Japanese yen strengthened against the dollar overnight, with the currency pair trading at 105.71 on Friday afternoon, compared with levels near 107.15 on Thursday afternoon local time and near 100 two weeks earlier.

For now, AAPL shareholders should enjoy the boost from Pokemon GO, but it’s likely not enough on its own to justify buying the stock.

The release comes within days of the start of Japan’s summer school holidays.