One and a half years after the launch of Pokémon GO, the mobile hit is now set to be released in China. Initially, safety concerns were in the way. However, they seem to have been resolved following a deal with the local partner NetEase.
It is actually hard to understand that a country like China, which has so many gamers, has not yet had a Pokémon GO release. In an interview with the Financial Times, Niantic’s CEO John Hanke stated that the launch in China is indeed coming.
NetEase brings Pokémon GO to China
Along with NetEase, Niantic is now working on the release of Pokémon GO in China. However, there is still no specific release date. In the interview with the Financial Times, Hanke explained: “We want to bring our existing games to China. Additionally, there are opportunities to develop games in China and then publish them for China and the rest of the world.”
The Pokémon GO developers at Niantic recently completed a $200 million “Series B” funding round. Among other contributions, NetEase was involved. They also publish Blizzard games in China, such as World of Warcraft and Hearthstone.
In an earlier “Series A” funding round, the company had already raised $30 million. At that time, major contributions came from companies like Nintendo, Google, and The Pokémon Company.
Initial concerns cleared
About a year ago, the news agency “Reuters” reported that Pokémon GO would not be released in China. At that time, some safety concerns were the reason. The Chinese authority in charge was worried about players due to the frequent accidents associated with the mobile game, especially in the early days. Players were more focused on their smartphones rather than the road, which led to distractions and caused accidents.
The government was also concerned about geographical information. They believed that the security of the country would be compromised by the game.
It seems that these issues have now been resolved. It could be possible that publisher NetEase, with its connections to the Chinese authorities, provided the new opportunity for Pokémon GO in the Chinese market. What ultimately led to this change remains uncertain.
Government concerns notably diminish after deals with Chinese companies
It is noticeable that Western companies often have difficulty releasing their games in China until they secure a deal with a local company. Then suddenly, everything goes smoothly. This was recently observed with the shooter hit PUBG. Initially, there were seemingly insurmountable obstacles to its launch in China, but then the Korean publisher made a deal with Chinese giant Tencent and everything became a non-issue.
It seems to be a similar situation with Pokémon GO now.
It also remains to be seen how the Chinese version of Pokémon GO will differ from the one we know. For example, to comply with Chinese laws, the hack & slash game “Diablo 3” had to be significantly altered. NetEase also had a role in this game. In the Chinese version of Diablo 3, oil flows instead of blood.
It is certain that the development will now allow a large mass of players to join the Pokémon GO community.
In the new AR+ mode of Pokémon GO, there are rewards for sneaking up
