Pokémon GO International Release Delayed "A Few Days" Following Unprecedented Popularity in the U.S.

By Kyle McKenney  |  July 11, 2016 | 10:41am
Images via The Pokemon Company
Games News

Following Pokémon GO’s American release and meteoric rise in popularity, developer Niantic has stated the international release is “paused until we’re comfortable,” CEO John Hanke told Business Insider.

Pokémon GO became an overnight sensation in the U.S., causing massive server issues. Hanke said Pokémon GO’s instant popularity caught Niantic by surprise, and they are waiting on the international release until the servers are more stable.

“We thought the game would be popular, but it obviously struck a nerve,” Hanke said.

Pokémon GO’s success is almost unprecedented. It became the highest-grossing app in Apple’s App Store in half a day, despite widespread server issues preventing many users from even playing.

According to tech writer and analyst Tero Kuittinen, Pokémon GO is making about 100 times more in early sales than Candy Crush did, one of the biggest apps of all time. By Tuesday, Pokémon GO is expected to have more active daily users than Twitter.

Pokémon GO’s success has led to a a 25 percent increase in the stock prices of Nintendo, the largest increase for Nintendo since 1983, The Wall Street Journal reports.

Pokémon GO hasn’t just been a huge financial success, it has also spawned an ardent fan following in a matter of days, the kind of which generally isn’t seen with apps. Fans have come together in amazing ways. It seems Pokémon GO’s popularity, and Nintendo’s profits, will only increase once the game releases internationally. For anyone who can’t play Pokémon GO, you can read about the experiences of Paste’s own Jenn Frank and her night playing the game right here.

 
Join the discussion...