Meanwhile, it owns an unknown portion of Niantic, a Google spinoff that designed the game, and 33 percent of the Pokemon company, which owns the Pokemon characters.
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Pokemon Go server issues appear to have been fixed on iOS and Android devices.
“Pokemon Go came, I can not bother with work”, one person said on Twitter minutes after the game hit Google Play. All 3,000+ McDonald’s locations in Japan are becoming Pokemon gyms, thanks to a sponsorshiip deal between McDonald’s Japan and Niantic Labs.
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.
Her friend Maika Kubo, also 16, admitted to being a bit perplexed at playing the game. Whatever the case might be, Pokemon Go is finally available in its home territory where it’s finding an eager audience.
The launch of the app, released in the US a few weeks ago, is partnered with a McDonalds sponsorship deal selling Pokemon-themed meals in Japan.
The augmented reality game has players out in their real life neighborhoods “capturing” monsters on their smartphones as they turn up even in ordinary offices and taxis.
“Everyone had been waiting for this”, said Hideki Yasuda, an analyst at Ace Research Institute.
But that finally ended Friday as the game was made available online in Japan.
Within two hours of the release, dozens of people could be seen playing it around Tokyo railway station.
Another potential pitfall could be Pokemon Go’s effect on workplace discipline.
McDonald’s has been offering Pokemon toys with children’s meals and there are set to be a number of sponsored events taking place.
Given the timing of the Pokemon Go’s release on a Friday, the game is likely to become a bigger hit and a major social phenomenon over the weekend.
The game has enthralled players and boosted investors’ view of Nintendo’s future, as they bet the group can cash in on a treasure chest of other lucrative cartoon characters, from Donkey Kong to Super Mario.
The wildly popular Pokemon GO has taken the world by storm ever since it’s release earlier this month.
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“When you go out to play, keep your head up, look around, enjoy the world around you and be safe”, he said in the video message.
