South Koreans Rush To Sokcho For Pokemon Go (Photo : Jean Chung/Getty Images)
Niantic has finally launched Pokémon GO in Japan after several weeks of anticipation as the company admitted they needed to prepare their servers first to handle the incoming load.
It is no secret that there have been several server crashes in the past few days due to the large number of players trying to enter Pokémon GO. The problems can also be attributed to the fact that the Pokémon GO APK files from third-party sites have briefly allowed players outside the available regions to enter the game but Niantic blocked the access afterwards.
Now, the game has been officially launched in Japan. Pokémon GO players in Japan can now run to their nearest McDonalds restaurant to try and take over the gym as the company partnered with Niantic to turn their 3000 stores in the country into Pokémon gyms to increase their foot traffic and visitors, TechCrunch has learned.
Trainers in Japan, thank you for being patient. Pokémon GO is now available to download in Japan!
— Pokémon GO (@PokemonGoApp) July 22, 2016
Pokémon GO has made it to the United States, Australia, New Zealand and some parts of Europe. However, the game is still not finished rolling out yet as Niantic still prepares its servers to launch it in more markets presumably in Asia.
Players in the available regions have already started to try and "catch them all" by even walking into military bases and government properties. There are also massive Pokémon GO walks that are organized so that more people can interact with each other while trying to find Pokémon in public places.
Japan Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga warned players even before Pokémon GO was released in the country to play the game safely by being aware of their environment and natural disasters, Bloomberg reported. Despite the low effort in marketing, all the media coverage regarding the game has made it shoot up in popularity across the world as people in Asia and other parts of the globe still wait for the game to be released in their country.
Niantic and The Pokémon Company may have also planned the Pokémon GO release in Japan as the launch coincides with the school holidays in the country. While the majority of players are teenagers and adults, it would still give a huge boost to the number of players in the game.
Pokémon GO can be downloaded by players in Japan through the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store. It can be the first of the many launches in Asia as it can be rolled out in nearby countries as well.
