Pokemon GO began quietly rolling out across Australia, New Zealand, and the US last week – but an official worldwide launch could take some time yet.
Business Insider reports that Pokemon GO’s international rollout to countries like the UK and Canada has been paused. Developer Niantic has revealed that it’s ‘hard at work on a fix’ , with the rollout being ‘paused until [Niantic is] comfortable’.
Thank you for your patience. We have been working to fix the server issues. We will continue rolling out #PokemonGO to new countries soon.
— Pokémon GO (@PokemonGoApp) July 8, 2016
While the AR app launched to massive popularity, many users have been encountering some pretty severe server issues. Some players will find themselves unable to actually get in to the game, while others might struggle to actually catch any Pokemon.
Considering the time Pokemon GO spent in beta testing around the world, it could be seen as something of a surprise that the servers weren’t ready.
Then again, perhaps nobody at Niantic or the Pokemon Company could have predicted the ludicrous success of the title. More fool them. Pokemon in real life? You’ve just made yourself all the money in the world.
Massive shocker – "Pokemon GO" hit Number 1 on US iPhone revenue in half a day. This simply does not happen. pic.twitter.com/ZjHNzcZgFc
— Tero Kuittinen (@teroterotero) July 8, 2016
What’s even more impressive is that it seems like half of the UK has been out this weekend playing Pokemon GO, and it’s not even supposed to be out here yet.
There are, of course, ways to download the game early, but they’re not exactly legal. That so many people would go to the effort just to play is probably something Niantic weren’t expecting, and perhaps another reason the servers are struggling.
In the meantime, stay safe while playing Pokemon GO. Some people are already using the app for crime, while others have found themselves unwilling participants in the adventure.
Ewan Moore is a journalist at UNILAD Gaming who still quite hasn’t gotten out of his mid 00’s emo phase. After graduating from the University of Portsmouth in 2015 with a BA in Journalism & Media Studies (thanks for asking), he went on to do some freelance words for various places, including Kotaku, Den of Geek, and TheSixthAxis, before landing a full time gig at UNILAD in 2016.