The Pokemon Company has announced that "Pokemon GO" will not be released simultaneously in all regions. Japan, North America and Europe will get to try it first before it makes its way to Asia, South America, Africa and the Middle East.
The Pokemon Company CEO Tsunekazu Ishihara broke the news via the Japan-based newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun. He did not reveal release date details concerning other regions, which means that the unmentioned countries may have to wait longer to be able to get access to "Pokemon GO."
This could also mean that Nintendo and Niantic are yet to determine a launch date for the countries in question. Nonetheless, fans are disappointed that some of them won't get to play "Pokemon GO" as early as others.
Since the game's announcement, "Pokemon" fans around the world have been on the edge of their seats. This is because the augmented reality game allows players to virtually catch, train and battle Pokemon from their backyards, the mall, park or basically everywhere.
The ambitious prospect of meeting Pokemon creatures just around the corner from players' mobile phones had everyone on tenterhooks for its launch. "Pokemon GO" will come with a Bluetooth-enabled wearable device called Pokemon Go Plus, which notifies players of a Pokemon sighting.
Just recently, John Hanke, CEO of Niantic, which is developing the game, announced that they have successfully raised $5 million from investors. The funds will be used to further sharpen up "Pokemon GO."
"'Pokemon Go' is looking good. We'll share more details with the world soon. There certainly are a lot of fans," Hanke said (via N4BB). The augmented reality game will be free to play for players.
A release date has not been set yet but word on the street is that "Pokemon GO" will be out later this year at the earliest. It remains to be seen how long players outside Japan, North America and Europe will have to wait to be able to access it.
