Pokémon Go fans in Macau can now download the app from Google Play or iTunes. The news was announced recently by Niantic, the game developer, a software development company based in San Francisco.
Besides Macau, the game also became available in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia and Serbia on the same day. The next day, six more countries – Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Mongolia – were able to access the game.
On July 6 of this year, Pokémon Go was initially released in Australia, New Zealand, and the United States, followed soon after by its release in Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, and Portugal. By July 16, the game could already be played in 26 countries in Europe. On July 25, the game became available in Macau’s neighboring region, Hong Kong, the second city in Asia to welcome the famous game.
While the game had yet to become available in the city, hundreds of reports of robberies, traffic accidents and other mishaps taking place abroad worried both the public and the government.
The game encourages its players to go to real locations in the city in order to catch the virtual Pokémon creatures, which in some cases has resulted in crimes and accidents occurring more frequently.
In August, a woman was killed in Japan by a distracted driver who was playing the game while driving.
In addition to the accidents, there were also a few bans on the game. Earlier, the Hong Kong Police Force, the city’s Hospital Authority, religious centers and even the People’s Liberation Army announced that players should distance themselves from their buildings’ vicinities.
According to a report by South China Morning Post, Hong Kong’s Pokémon players are required to leave the area if they are trespassing and will even be arrested if they ignore police warnings. JZ
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