14 DAY TRIAL // Pokemon Go has become an overnight phenomenon, and now Niantic is planning to make it available in as many countries as possible, with company executives revealing that the aim is to release the game in a total of 200 countries.
Pokemon Go was launched during the weekend in more countries in Europe, and now Niantic is looking beyond the Old Continent for the game.
"Why limit it?" John Hanke, chief executive of Niantic, was quoted as saying by Reuters, adding that South Korea and Japan could get Pokemon Go in the coming weeks too.
Launching Pokemon Go in South Korea is a major challenge, given the fact that Google Maps, the mapping service that the game is based on, is impacted by several limitations in the country due to the political issues with North Korea. Nevertheless, Niantic says that it’s already working with Google to address it, and “there are solutions to that.”
Still no word on Pokemon Go for Windows Phone
No timing information has been provided for the release of Pokemon Go in these markets, by Niantic claims that it will happen “soon” in Japan and then in more countries outside Europe.
As far as Windows Phone users are concerned, they’re still not part of Niantic’s plans, despite this global push for Pokemon Go. The game is only available for Android and iOS for the time being, and despite the fact that both Microsoft and its users are calling for Niantic to release the game on Windows Phone, no plans for such a version seem to be on the table right now.
On the other hand, Microsoft users could soon get a chance to play Pokemon Go, but not on Windows Phone. Rumor has it that Nintendo is planning a HoloLens version of the game that could debut in the coming months. Its adoption, however, would be impacted by the limited availability of HoloLens, which remains a super expensive device that isn’t broadly accessible to consumers, so a Windows Phone version would come in much handier.