Chinese gamers have to go to great lengths to download Pokemon Go and get the chance to catch a Pikachu. (Photo : Twitter)
While Chinese gamers still anxiously await whether Pokemon Go will be available to the country, some eager fans have resorted to various ways to be able to play the game.
One of the major setbacks that Chinese wannabe Pokemon trainers had to deal with to play is that fact that Pokemon Go requires a Google account to be playable. Due to Google being banned in China, players are not able to access their accounts.
Some gamers have gone around the problem by using virtual private networks (VPN's) to get pass China's internet firewall and access their accounts, Global Times reported. Others, meanwhile, resort to purchasing United States and United Kingdom-based accounts to use for play via VPN.
However, the game's GPS requirements is another hurdle that Chinese players need to get over. GPS signals from the country are blocked by Google, so players use virtual GPS software to fool the servers into registering them as being in another country entirely. But with Nintendo and Niantic becoming stricter when it comes to cheating in the game. Players using fake locations will likely be severely punished.
Ultimately, experts said that Chinese players might be down on their luck, as the game might never get a local release unless the developers can work out a suitable arrangement. Under current government regulations, any foreign developer wishing to bring in gaming titles into China are required to partner with a local company for distribution. The title will also undergo intensive review and revisions before being given the go signal to be release.
Meanwhile, after several weeks of delay, Pokemon Go is finally set for launch on Thursday, The Wall Street Journal reported. The Japanese launch will also feature the first sponsor for the game in the form of fast food giant McDonalds.
Under the deal made by the parties, McDonalds' more than 3000 branches across japan will serve as "Pokemon gyms" where players can go against each other, as well trade their Pokemon. It is expected that similar sponsorship deals with other companies will be made in the future.
Japan, which is the origin of the Pokemon franchise, was surprisingly left out of the initial roll out of the game, but Nintendo and Niantic assured Japanese players that they are just taking their time to iron out issues before roll out.
