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Forbes: Pokémon Go Not Expected in Japan Until End of July

Forbes reported on Friday that Nintendo expects the Pokémon Go smartphone game will launch in Japan "soon, if not by the end of July."

Developer Niantic CEO John Hanke explained the delay in launching the game in Japan:

At present, the server capacity in Japan is not powerful enough. We are working hard with our partners in Japan to enable the servers to keep up with demand once the game goes online there. We expect it to be released by the end of July.

Hanke added that launching the game in China and Korea will be particularly difficult:

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.

Pokémon Go launched last week in Australia, New Zealand, and the United States. The game has since expanded to Germany, the United Kingdom, and, as of Friday, Italy, Spain, and Portugal. Hanke hopes to eventually launch in about 200 countries.

Source: Forbes (Peter Lyon) via Yaraon!, Hachima Kikō