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Pokémon GO is now out in Japan

Japan is the first of the Asian countries to get Pokémon GO.

The popular mobile phone app Pokémon GO has finally been released in the homeland of Pokémon, Japan. While the game had initially released in there (along with Australia and New Zealand), it had to be pulled as the servers were unable to cope with demand.

Curiously, one aspect unique to Pokémon GO in Japan is the partnership between Niantic and McDonalds. 400 of the fast-food restaurants in Japan are to become Gyms in the game, while another 2,500 are to be PokéStops. Apparently if this partnership is a success, we could see similar partnerships outside of Japan, but time will tell on that one. Also of interest is the news that the Japan release was delayed when this news about the partnership with McDonalds was leaked. This is the first sponsorship of the game in such a manner.

A special video for Japanese users, fronted by Jun’ichi Masuda and Niantic CEO John Hanke, has also been released describing Niantic’s aspirations to the game:

Japan is the first country in Asia where the game has officially launched. It joins the recent launch in Canada and twenty-six European countries. The game has been available from July 6 in the Australia, New Zealand and the United States, and if you’re in a supported country, you can grab it from the App Store or Google Play right now.

Co-written by bobandbill.