China does not allow release of Pokémon Go

Niantic is currently not allowed to release Pokémon Go in China. The authorities are not allowing the release due to security concerns, and want to conduct more extensive research into the risks first.

This is reported by Reuters news agency on the basis of a statement made by the Chinese authorities. After an evaluation, it was decided that there are too many risks associated with a release of Pokémon Go in China. This is mainly due to risks for consumers and for the transport sector. Although that was not explained in further detail, China probably fears accidents caused because Pokémon Go players are not careful. In addition, the Chinese cite an undisclosed threat to “geographic information security.”

According to the Chinese authorities, because of the risks mentioned, there are too many objections to allow Pokémon Go in the application stores. However, additional research is being conducted to determine whether the software may still enter the Chinese market. This also applies to other games that use augmented reality.

Niantic has not yet responded to the report. The company may make an adapted version for the Chinese market, in order to remove the objections.