Pokemon Go is a mobile game that has well and truly taken the world by storm and over the past few weeks, it has emerged as probably one of the most popular mobile games to have ever existed. However, the game is not available in perhaps one of the biggest markets in the world in terms of gaming enthusiasts and considering the number of smarthphone owners in China, it is a surprise that Pokemon Go cannot be played by the peaopl in the country.
It seems, that the fact that China has banned Google from its shores is the reason why Pokemon Go is not available in the country and considering the fact that plenty of the features of the game are tied to Google is the reason that the game has been made unavailable. According to a report on the website Android Headlins, " The game is currently available as a free download on the Google Play Store as well as on Apple's App Store in many regions around the world, but some of the notable markets where the game has not yet been launched officially, include China, South Korea and India. While Niantic is widely expected to launch the game in the South Asian country next month, gamers in the two East Asian countries are seemingly are out of luck, at least for now. While the exact reasons for the game's unavailability in the two regions differ significantly, the one common thread that binds them is Google. That's because Niantic has integrated Google services so tightly with Pokemon GO that any blocking of the search giant's mapping services is a surefire way of making the game unplayable in that area. And with Google's disagreements with the Chinese and South Korean governments not exactly a state secret, Pokemon GO has turned out to be an unwitting bystander caught in the crossfire."
The report went on to add, "Sadly for Chinese residents, not only do Pokemon GO players have to register on the app through a Google Account, but the location-based game also makes use of Google Maps for navigation, making it pretty much impossible for gamers in the world's largest mobile gaming market to get official support for Pokemon GO in their country. That's because virtually all of Google's online services, including search, mail, maps, the Play Store and others, are legally banned in China. "
