However all of this has been speculation since neither Niantic nor McDonald’s Japan have officially said anything, at least until now where according to Japanese website Excite News (via Kotaku), it seems that McDonald’s Japan has confirmed the collaboration with Pokemon GO. However the confirmation was only that, and that there was no mention of a release date or details about whether or not it will be sponsored location or what that might entail.
They did state that it will be launched soon, and that Niantic is working to ensure that the servers would be able to withstand the influx of players so that everyone can enjoy a smooth launch, so until then gamers will just have to remain patient. In the meantime it looks like even without Pokemon GO, McDonald’s Japan is reaping the benefits from the hype as their share prices have soared as gamers are flocking to their outlets and purchasing Happy Meals with Pokemon toys in them.