Pokemon Go Mobile Game Is Finally Set To Launch In China

Pokemon Go

In summer 2016, Pokemon Go set the mobile world ablaze. People would spend hours walking around attempting to find those rare Pokemon.

Quickly gaining itself millions of downloads, it was one of the breakout hits of the year. Then, almost as quickly as people turned to it, they left. Gaming figures since the hype died down have dropped quite dramatically and at least 10 million people are no longer actively engaged in the game. It was, however, for a time, quite the event.

It, therefore, may surprise you to learn that despite it being around 18 months since its launch, China still does not have Pokemon Go. With a population of over 1 billion and the worlds largest mobile phone consumers, this was certainly a head-scratcher. particularly since it has to date earnt at least $1.2b. There is, however, a reason for this.

Not that this is as hard to believe, but China has some rather strict regulations when it comes to IP’s from other countries. Put simply a partner must exist in China who can oversee the product.

Personally, the sceptic in me says that this is simply to make sure that the Chinese government gets its slice of the profit pie. In a report via the BBC, however, a partner has now been found and as such, the mobile game is set to land in China.

A product with an interesting history

Having a quick look through our archives, while the game may have been popular it wasn’t without its controversy.

Here’s a quick selection;

• Man sentenced to 3 and a half years for playing Pokemon Go in a Church.
• Driving accidents attributed to people playing.
• Massive roaming charge fees.
• Pokemon location in Bosnian minefields.

Despite this, Niantic has secured a deal with Chinese company NetEase and plan to launch Pokemon Go in China around Summer 2018.

For those of us who grew tired of Pokemon Go, never fear. A Harry Potter game based on AR phone technology is on the way!

What do you think? Surprised it hasn’t launched in China yet? Will the launch see a resurgence in popularity in the West? – Let us know in the comments!