The slow, gradual world-wide release of Pokémon GO has been frustrating for many. The insanely popular Pokémon catching app was finally released in the rest of Europe and Canada over the weekend – bringing the servers down for much of Saturday morning (US time). Server disconnects and login problems have plagued the app since its release. But the number of people playing Pokémon GO has only risen as its availability in new countries increases.
Trainers! We have been working to fix the #PokemonGO server issues. Thank you for your patience. We’ll post an update soon.
— Pokémon GO (@PokemonGoApp) July 16, 2016
Nintendo and Niantic Labs are saving Nintendo’s home country of Japan and other Asian countries as some of the last markets to push through. Niantic Labs CEO John Hanke says Pokémon GO is expected to be released in Japan by the end of July. This will help give more time for Niantic to shore up its server capacity for the large influx of Japanese players – where Pokémon reigns supreme.
“We are working hard with our partners in Japan to enable the servers to keep up with demand once the game goes online there,” Hanke told Forbes. “At present, the server capacity in Japan is not powerful enough.”
China and Korea have other roadblocks. North Korea has security concerns and a limited map, while China has leagues of red tape surrounding the usage of a GPS-style app.
Despite the frequent server outages (the app requires a server connection to function at all), Pokémon GO has remained very popular. It has penetrated pop culture well beyond gamers and Pokémon fans. Yelp has even added a “PokéStops Nearby” filter. Check out our list of Pokémon GO News Reports and our Tips and Tricks Guide.
