Don’t look now, but Pokemon Go has finally launched in South Africa, three months after its US and UK launch.
You might be wondering why Niantic‘s clocks are so incredibly slow, considering that people have been playing Pokemon Go in South Africa since July. Well, the game wasn’t actually available through official channels before today. Many made use of unofficial APK repositories on Android, and other means on iOS.
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From today though, prospective Pokemon masters can now catch the game on Google Play and the iOS App Store as an official app.
Pokemon Go is now officially available in 31 African countries, including South Africa
The game, using a combination of Google Maps’ technology and augmented reality, allows players to catch Pokemon in real-time, in a seemingly real world. It’s not dissimilar to Niantic’s other game Ingress, but add fluffy miniature monsters with flamethrowers, and you have yourself a winner.
This move has took Niantic long enough though. The game is now available in 31 more countries (listed below), which includes much of Africa.
Pokemon Go is now available in: Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Rwanda, Seychelles, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Chad, Gabon, Sao Tome and Principe, Egypt, Morocco, Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Cote d’Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mauritania, Niger, Sierra Leone and Togo.
Since its launch in July 2016, Pokemon Go has enjoyed a rollercoaster of a ride from super stardom, to last year’s bell-bottom fad.
Its gamer base — once 45-million active daily users strong — dropped much of its weight by-mid August.
Not only that, global popularity for Pokemon seems to be on the decline. While the upcoming Nintendo 3DS Pokemon title, Pokemon Sun & Moon, might bring about a mild resurgence in the monster movement, we doubt that Pokemon Go will recover its initial novelty. At least in its current guise.
Perhaps the untapped African market is just what Niantic needs.
If you’re interested in downloading Pokemon Go for your smartphone, it’s available on Android and iOS. Be sure to take a look at our Pokemon Go beginners’ guide too.
