However, finally, the game is releasing on Wednesday and expected to create a big blockbuster in its motherland like it did in other countries. In preparation for the launch, McDonald’s began bundling Pokemon toys with its Happy Meals.
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User reaction in Japan was ecstatic.
Maho Ishikawa, a 16-year-old high school student, told Reuters: “Everyone was talking about why we couldn’t do it here”.
“It was like, ‘Finally! I’m not sure which Pokemon I should be chasing after, but I definitely want to capture as many as possible”, said an office worker in his 30s, who was playing the game during his lunch break. Adding to the accuracy is the involvement of players themselves in updating pokemon locations. “So we’re like, “It’s there, it’s there!” But that didn’t dampen her enthusiasm.
“We wanted to build a game that would inspire people to go outside, get exercise, discover new places and have fun with their friends”, Wall Street Journal quoted Niantic chief executive John Hanke.
A recent update on the viral Reddit thread ‘Pokemon GO Release Status – Asia’ suggests that the geo-block for Taiwan and some parts of Korea was removed as Niantic’s global release date draws closer and closer with every passing day.
Developed by Niantic, the free-to-play augmented reality mobile game called “Pokémon Go” is for iOS and Android device.
He said the game’s worldwide success nonetheless could provide a shot in the arm for Japan’s mobile gaming industry, which is wildly popular at home but has found limited success overseas. But this is all speculation as Niantic Labs has not made a reply to the latest in Pokemon GO Tips.
The videogame giant’s stock at one stage had more than doubled in the past couple of weeks, with its market value soaring earlier this week to ¥4.5-trillion ($42.5bn), meaning it was more valuable than Japan Inc standard bearer Sony. One teenager in Guatemala was even shot dead as he played Pokemon GO.
And amid widespread anticipation before the release in Japan, the government issued a rare safety guide warning over dangers gamers could face, from heat stroke to online scams.
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Junichi Masuda, head of development at Game Freak, and co-creator of the game, apologized in a video announcement on the internet for keeping players waiting so long in the land where Pokemon was first born two decades ago. You can allocate some of your Pokemon to defend them and use others to fight with Pokemon from other teams and wrest control of rival gyms. Pokemon fans in Japan can at last grab their smartphones and set off outdoors in pursuit of monsters as “Pokemon Go” debuted Friday.
