Pokémon GO continues its global expansion with the addition of 15 Asian and Oceanic countries where it's now available, but India, China and Korea are still left out of the party.
The wildly popular game made its debut in July, launching only in a few markets at first, but has steadily widened its availability since. It gradually reached an increasing number of countries worldwide and the latest expansion finally makes the game available in Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Taiwan, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Solomon Islands, Federated States of Micronesia and Palau.
Pokémon GO has proven to be a real social phenomenon so far, getting millions of people out of their homes to explore their neighborhoods and cities in search for the tiny pocket monsters. No other mobile game to date has ever achieved the success of Pokémon GO, which has broken record after record for downloads and installs.
Despite a firestorm of criticism over blocking third-party trackers recently, Pokémon GO still racked up a whopping 100 million downloads and it's not even available in all global markets yet.
The hype has quieted down a bit and the game is already declining in the United States, but its international expansion is expected to get more players hooked worldwide.
The latest rollout in Asian and Oceanic countries was confirmed on the game's official social media pages, as well as the official website of developer Niantic Labs.
Trainers in 15 new countries & regions in Asia and Oceania can download Pokémon GO from the Play Store or App Store! https://t.co/UoFXEuAPYv
— Pokémon GO (@PokemonGoApp) Aug. 5, 2016
The game has long been expected to launch in Asia, but it remains to be seen when it will finally hit India, China and Korea. While security issues and other woes related to the game's reliance on Google Maps may explain Pokémon GO's absence in China and Korea, it remains unclear what's holding it back in India.
Nintendo has also delayed the release of the Pokémon GO Plus accessory, which is now pegged to launch in September instead of July, as initially promised. Nintendo explained that the delay is not because of production issues as some speculated, and that the release of the accessory was pushed back to prioritize improving the game.
As for those game improvements, the Pokémon GO update has not been well-received by players, sparking heavy criticism, but Niantic promised it was for the better.
Are you excited about the Pokémon GO release in Asia and Oceania, or has the latest update curbed your enthusiasm? Let us know in the comment section below.
