'Pokemon Go' release date: game launched in UK; other countries announced

Pokemon Go The Pokemon Company/Niantic

As of the time of writing, 27 other countries have seen the release of "Pokemon Go," one of the most highly anticipated mobile games to ever be released. The game is so popular that it has already seen more active users than the dating app Tinder and it continues to grow as more countries around the globe receive the game.

As posted by the game's official Facebook page, Canada is the latest to see the game's launch. Prior to its release, 26 countries received the game in waves following the release in the U.K., Spain, Italy and Portugal. The game is already available in the United States, Australia, New Zealand and Germany.

These countries include Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Greenland, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden and Switzerland.

Brazil, China, Egypt, France, India, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, United Arab Emirates, the Philippines, Singapore and South Korea have yet to receive the game, as reported by Cinema Blend. All of these countries are likely to receive the game soon, although there is no official confirmation coming from Nintendo or the developers at Niantic Labs.

However, there are possibilities that China may not receive it due to legal issues and regulations that need to be worked around. A Japan launch is coming soon once the developers have established a stable network of servers to keep the game running and functional.

South Korea will experience delays due to the need of the developers to work around the restrictions regarding satellites imposed by South Korea's neighbor, North Korea. Developer Niantic Labs have yet to confirm when the game might launch in South Korea.

"Pokemon Go" changes the franchise's formula by utilizing augmented reality on smartphones, requiring players to explore the real world in order to find and catch Pokemon. Real world locations like stores and schools are also identified as PokeStops and Pokemon Gyms where players of three different teams compete against each other.

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