Pokemon GO is a success. The new smash-hit augmented reality iPhone and Android mobile game from Nintendo and Niantic Labs is so successful that the game servers are down due to too much demand.
The game was first released in Australia and New Zealand, before going live in the US on July 7.
Pokemon fans in the UK and other markets, eagerly await the release of Pokemon GO. But they’re in for a disappointment, as the game is held back from expanding further into other markets, until the problem resolves.
Popularity of Pokemon GO
Pokemon has always been a much-loved franchise, but the new augmented reality aspect is attracting droves of new and old Pokemon fans, and is breaking the servers.
Massive shocker – "Pokemon GO" hit Number 1 on US iPhone revenue in half a day. This simply does not happen. pic.twitter.com/ZjHNzcZgFc
— Tero Kuittinen (@teroterotero) July 8, 2016
Many people are not able to play and they are getting error messages that say – “Failed to get game data from the server.”
The developers tweeted saying – they were aware of the problems, which are the result of “incredible number of Pokemon Go downloads”.
Due to the incredible number of #PokemonGO downloads, some Trainers may experience sign-up difficulties. Don’t worry, our team is on it!
— Pokémon GO (@PokemonGoApp) July 7, 2016
Pokemon Go International Release ‘Paused’
International rollout in territories like the UK, Canada, Europe, South America, India and Japan has been put on hold.
The company first wants to ensure that people in the United States, Australia and New Zealand, where it is already live, can play the game without any hindrance.
Business Insider reported Niantic CEO John Hanke as saying: “We thought the game would be popular, but it obviously struck a nerve.” The rollout is “paused until we’re comfortable.”
Pokemon GO Mobile Game
Pokemon GO is a very interesting game that focuses mainly on exploration.
The game allows players to catch Bulbasaur, Charmander, Squirtle or even Pikachu in their backyards.
You play by walking around in the the real world and catching wild Pokemon in your location and on your phone.
All you have to do is head outside, plug in your headphones, look at the phone and you will start seeing Pokemon Gyms, Pokestops and of course virtual monsters.
There are tons of disappointed Pokemon fans in the UK and other places:
Waiting for #pokemongo to launch in the UK for iPhones like pic.twitter.com/WRGen8qgtY
— Sophie | sophiescribbles.co.uk (@SophieScribbles) July 7, 2016
https://twitter.com/clemens_merker/status/751371277777108992
Jumping the Queue
If you’re in a country where you don’t have access to Pokemon GO yet, some players managed to figure out a way to play the game by changing the settings on their phones. But that method has not been endorsed by Niantic and Nintendo.
Hanke said that server stability will be regained soon, but he hasn’t given any details on just how long Pokemon GO fans will have to wait for the game to be released in their region.
Meanwhile, Amazon CTO Werner Vogels had a little fun at Niantic’s expense. He tweeted offering the help of Amazon cloud-hosting service to make sure the game is available:
Dear cool folks at @NianticLabs please let us know if there is anything we can do to help! (I wanted that drowzee) pic.twitter.com/UVwVKA0Lz8
— Werner Vogels (@Werner) July 8, 2016
If you’re in the US, Australia or New Zealand, you can download Pokemon GO for Android devices officially here and download for Apple devices here.