Pokemon Go quickly became a global phenomenon when it was launched in 2016. Since developer Niantic didn’t have a local partner in China, it wasn’t able to launch the game in the world’s largest smartphone market. Two years after the game was originally launched, it’s finally making its way to China as Niantic has struck a deal with a local partner.
The augmented reality game became popular not only because of Pokemon but because it made users get up and go outside. Players had to find and capture Pokemon in the real world and then use the captive monsters to fight other players.
Niantic has teamed up with local firm NetEase to launch Pokemon Go in China. Foreign firms are bound by law to launch digital ventures in China with a local company. Since it didn’t have a partner before, Niantic couldn’t launch the game in China even as its popularity reached crazy heights globally. However, Niantic hasn’t confirmed precisely when the title is going to be released in China.
Niantic recently confirmed plans for a new augmented reality game based on the Harry Potter franchise. It has the potential to be even bigger than Pokemon Go given the massive fan following that this franchise has.
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