Pokémon Go Release Date In China, South Korea, Japan And Vietnam: Hit Mobile Game To Come in 200 Countries Soon, Nintendo Developers Say

By Mark Aserit
Pokemon GO players
Pokemon GO players: They're Everywhere. Twitter

Aside from Australia, United States, New Zealand and Germany, Pokémon Go remains firmly inaccessible to most parts of the world. However, one of the Pokémon Go's creators stated the popular mobile game will be released in over 200 countries "relatively soon."

Here's the latest round-up of update about Pokémon Go release date for China, South Korea, Japan and Vietnam.

Many are surprised when Nintendo and Niantic decided to release Pokémon Go on Western countries first instead of Asian countries, where most of the internet users are located. In addition, Japan, where Pokémon originated, has not yet experienced the augmented reality game.

In response to the issue, John Hanke, chief executive of Niantic, said they are now working hard on bolstering the game's server capacity to enable wider rollout. 

Hanke declined to go into details about the game's specific release date on Asian countries but confirmed the game would soon be coming to Japan. He also added the augmented reality game will become available in South Korea.

Pokémon Go is not yet available in South Korea because the game uses data from Google Maps, which is not permitted by the South Korean government. However, gamers have found a glitch.

South Korean gamers are now going to Sokcho city, where Pokemon Go is working. The city is a two-hour bus ride away from Seoul. Since reports came out that is possible to play Pokémon Go in Sokcho, the town has been bombarded with gamers. Associated Press reported bus tickets from Seoul to Sokcho are sold out and many hotels are fully booked.

South Korea is the world's fourth-biggest gaming market after China, U.S., and Japan, according to a study from research firm Newzoo.

For Pokémon Go's release in China, there are regulations that have to be considered.  Nintendo needs to work with Chinese internet firms such as Baidu and Alibaba to access their maps, according to Cui Chenyu, a Shanghai-based analyst. Additionally, there's an issue of getting regulatory approval.

Pokémon Go, developed jointly by Japan's Nintendo and Niantic Labs, was released on July 6. Since then, it became a global hit, increasing Nintendo's Tokyo-traded shares by as much as 32%.  The game uses futuristic augmented-reality technology to superimpose Pokémon characters to user's screen.

Because of Pokémon Go's historic success, we expect Nintendo and Niantic will release the game to more countries in the next months to come.

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