Pokemon Go's rollout is closely being followed by its fans, but the developers of the game, Niantic Labs, is taking it slow to avoid any issues that may affect the user experience. The game has officially been launched in 80 countries around the world, but the wait for AR game's official release still continues.
Pokemon Go has already arrived in some of the biggest gaming nations including Japan, Australia, Germany, U.K, and the U.S., but not in China- the world's biggest online gaming market. As per the latest development, it appears Nintendo's smashing smartphone app will not come to the country anytime soon.
Not just that, China is resistant to allow any augmented reality (AR) games in the country citing security risks. The state censor board evaluates the potential threats any AR-based game poses to the people of the country and the national security before issuing a license to release, which seems highly unlikely in the case of Pokemon Go.
Pokemon Go is accused of causing road accidents- some of them fatal, distracting drivers, and is also linked to data privacy concerns for its use of geolocation tracking feature. In Japan alone, nearly 80 Pokemon Go-related road incidents were reported in just a month after its release.
The game has already been banned in temples, offices, public places and wildlife sanctuaries in Thailand. But ever since its release in July, the game has become a global phenomenon and also ranked highest in mobile app stores.
Another factor that can go against Pokemon Go's release in China is the use of Google's services such as Google Maps to locate and capture virtual monsters. Google Maps is blocked in China and people use Baidu for navigation purposes in the country. It remains to be seen if Pokemon Go will make use of Baidu if it gets a go-ahead to launch the game in China. We just have to wait to find out, but don't hold your breath for too long.
