Pokémon Go won't be available in China anytime soon. (Photo : Getty Images/Mike Coppola)
China is one country that won't be jumping on the Pokémon Go bandwagon as local authorities ban the popular augmented reality mobile game over security risks.
According to Reuters, the hit Nintendo app is "unlikely to be rolled out in China anytime soon" as the government refused to license the game until possible safety risks had been properly evaluated.
Other AR-based games are also said to suffer the same fate, casting a darker shadow over China's tough censorship measures against foreign tech companies.
Last year, Pokémon Go catapulted into popularity and easily became one of the most-downloaded mobile app games.
Based on AR technology, the app requires users to walk around in neighborhoods to catch Pokémon characters using their smartphones and score tokens to help them advance in the game.
Several accidents have been blamed on the game while the geo-location app used in the app has also caused some concerns over data privacy.
The State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television (SAPPRFT), China's censorship body, said that it is working with various government agencies to evaluate the mobile game's risk.
Niantic, Pokémon Go's developer, refused to divulge details when sought for comments by Reuters.
Meanwhile, a games division of the China Audio-video and Digital Publishing Association said in a report by Forbes that Pokémon Go represented a "threat to geographical information security and the threat to transport and the personal safety of consumers."
The news website added that the two key issues behind the ban are national security and consumer safety.
Forbes wrote: "The 'threat to geographical information security' is the more likely culprit. It's hardly surprising that the Chinese government is nervous about foreign companies and governments having access to any more geographical data than they already have, even if it is wrapped up in a Pokémon game. After all, Pokémon GO relies heavily on Google Maps to work, which is blocked in China to begin with."
