Pokémon Go will launch in Japan tomorrow with a sponsored location.
Pokémon Go has taken the world by storm, doubling the value of Nintendo’s share price. However, the Japanese game has not yet even be released in its home country, so you can only imagine what will happen when the game is officially released in its home country.
Fortunately for Japanese gamers, the wait will soon be over, as Pokémon Go will finally be released tomorrow (Wednesday 20 July).
To the frustration of Japanese fans, the game has already been released in over 30 countries including the US, Canada and much of Europe. However, Niantic, the company behind the game, has been monitoring the game’s international success to ensure that the game will run smoothly once released in Japan.
Niantic CEO John Hanke told Forbes that the dely is a result of the company wanting to ensure that its servers are robust enough to withstand the demand that the Japanese launch will inevitably generate,
“we expect it to be released by the end of July.”
Nintendo’s valuation is expected to skyrocket when the game is released tomorrow in Japan. Furthermore, the Japanese launch will feature a sponsored location, which marks the first time that the company has collaborated with an official partner.
Hanke had discussed “sponsored locations” before, stating that these partnerships would increase revenue through in-app purchases. These sponsors can create Pokémon gyms, where gamers can battle their Pokémon. This means that gamers will have to visit certain partners in order to battle their Pokémon, hence driving real-world traffic to their businesses.
According to TechCrunch, McDonald’s is set to be the first launch partner of the game, meaning that over 3,000 of its fast food restaurants across Japan will become Pokémon gyms.
If successful, this will undoubtedly be replicated in other parts of the world as sponsorship could potentially be lucrative for both game makers and partnered companies. Bloomberg reported that McDonald’s share price spiked due to its Pokémon-branded Happy Meal sales, even before the game was launched.
Japan will be the first country in Asia to launch the game. Further launches across Asia are expected within the coming weeks.
