Pokémon Go launched this morning in 26 new countries across Europe, capping a blockbuster week in which the augmented reality-based title became the most popular mobile game ever and saw Nintendo shares set record trading volumes in Tokyo.

Pokemon GO iOS screenshots
The announcement of the multi-country launch was made earlier today on the official Pokémon Go Facebook page.

Pokémon Go is available in twenty-six new countries. As of tonight, Trainers living in Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Greenland, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, and Switzerland are able to download Pokémon GO from the Play Store or App Store.

As a major market, France remains conspicuously absent from the launch list, while rollout in Canada and across the Asian region has yet to begin. Users in several countries have also reported login problems with the game since this morning's announcement, suggesting continuing server-side issues for developers Niantic Labs.

Speaking to Reuters yesterday, chief executive of Niantic John Hanke said Pokémon Go will release in around 200 countries "relatively soon" as developers work to bolster server capacity to enable the wider rollout.

Those comments helped Nintendo shares surge another 10 percent on Friday, setting a record in daily trading volume for an individual stock on the Tokyo exchange. The shares have climbed 86 percent this week, adding $17 billion in market value.

Meanwhile in New York City, a stampede was caught on camera on Friday near Central Park, where a "Vaporeon" pokémon character reportedly showed up. People were seen jumping from cars to capture the creature.


According to The Verge, similar scenes have taken place around the U.S. where rare game characters have appeared, with huge crowds converging on locations such as the Boston Common, Provo City Library in Utah, in Des Moines, Iowa, in Bellevue, Washington, and Altamonte Springs, Florida.

Earlier this week, U.S. mobile carrier T-Mobile announced it plans to offer its customers free data to play the game, while Sprint and affiliated Boost Mobile stores are providing charging stations to players, and even training up store staff to help customers locate nearby game features.

Niantic has also revealed it is considering introducing a sponsorship scheme similar to one it has with its other AR-based game Ingress, which assigns sponsors' stores and vending machines as spots in the game.

Update: The Pokémon Go Servers Twitter account has linked to an article by The Independent claiming that a hacking group called PoodleCorp has claimed responsbility for taking down the servers using a denial-of-service attack. Gamers are advised to check back with the account for further updates.

Update 2: Pokémon Go is now available in Canada.

Update 3: Niantic has announced it postponed the launch of the game in France "as a sign of respect for the French people in this time of national mourning." The game was expected to release Friday, July 15 in the country, but the company didn't hint as to when the expected debut is now set to happen.

Top Rated Comments

dannyyankou Avatar
87 months ago
As a major market, France still remains conspicuously absent from the launch list, while rollout in Canada and across the Asian region has yet to begin.
Oh, I'm on the edge of my seat. Please write an article for each country when this happens, thx
Score: 26 Votes (Like | Disagree)
predation Avatar
87 months ago
After watching that video, it made me re-evaluate my life and realize how incredibly stupid the game is. I deleted it off my phone.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
SharksFan22 Avatar
87 months ago
Walked out of my house the other evening to see a guy standing in my yard looking at our rose bushes. "May I help you" I asked. He replied that all was fine and continued to wander further into the flower bed. He mumbled something about "almost got him" and once I realized he wasn't high and was chasing some Nintendo character in my yard, I didn't know whether to be mad that he was trespassing or be sympathetic that his life has turned into following his phone around the neighborhood capturing imaginary characters.

I decided to just wish him well, got in the car and drove off.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
FurbyUK Avatar
87 months ago
Oh, I'm on the edge of my seat. Please write an article for each country when this happens, thx
You do seem to be quite interested in the app, since you've posted comments on each one. [emoji1303]
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
/dev/toaster Avatar
87 months ago
I really wish they would focus on stability instead of scaling to meet the demand of even more countries.
[doublepost=1468690807][/doublepost]
This Pokemon go craze is the most pathetic thing I have ever witnessed. Most of these players appear to be adults! Watch as the "haves" and "have nots" becomes more exacerbated over the coming decades. This is why we have growing income inequality.
The great thing about being an adult is that I don't have to answer to anyone on how I spend my spare time. It's pathetic to tell someone they are too old for something. If you enjoy something, do it. If you don't enjoy something, step back and let others have fun.

I've played video games my entire life and I will do it until the day I die.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Hastings101 Avatar
87 months ago
I love how upset people get over others having fun. This game isn't really for me, but it's nice to see people enjoying themselves over something harmless. It will pass, and the stuck up sticks in the mud can go back to crying about the computer games and the portable telly phones and those darn rapper pants
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)

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