While we in the US are pretty used to the idea of Pokemon GO being a dominant part of our everyday lives, the same cannot be said for every country around the world. Niantic Labs has been working hard on both updating the game, and getting it out to as many different nations as possible. Just recently Niantic announced that the game is available for download in 15 more countries across Asia and Oceania.
Here are the countries:
- Brunei
- Cambodia
- Indonesia
- Laos
- Malaysia
- Philippines
- Singapore
- Thailand
- Vietnam
- Taiwan
- Papua New Guinea
- Fiji
- Solomon Islands
- Federated States of Micronesia
- Palau
What's notable about this list is that it does not include three of the region's largest markets, China, Korea, and India. As you might surmise, there are certain regulations that Niantic is trying to get around that is keeping Pokemon GO from releasing in these countries. Niantic's CEO John Hanke told Forbes:
"Google's map information system in Korea is limited due to security concerns over North Korea. In China, however, it is technically possible, but difficult to introduce due to the many hurdles, or should I say regulations we’d have to clear to get it to users."
Google has had a frustrating run in China, namely due to issues regarding censorship, and Pokemon GO's reliance on Google Maps isn't going to help the game get in the hands of Chinese trainers anytime soon. Niantic is continuing their work in getting the game out there, but it will likely take some time before it releases. As for India, there is no clear reason for the hold-up, although the game has been noted for weak server support all over the world. So it's possible that Niantic will try to shore that up before launching in the lucrative mobile market of India.
Sources: [Engadget, Forbes, TechCrunch]
