Niantic will soon pull out "Pokemon GO" from Russia. As of the moment, this adventure title is one of the most popular mobile games in the country.
A man plays Pokemon Go game on a smartphone on July 22, 2016 in Tokyo, Japan. The Japanese version of the game app Pokemon Go was released on July 22, 2016. Japan McDonalds' 3,000 restaurants in Japan will be turned into Pokemon gyms in collaboration with the fast-food chain.
Because of this, many Russian citizens share their frustration regarding the decision of the game creator. On Friday, Mar. 11, Niantic confirmed its move via its official Twitter account.
"We stand with the global community in hoping for peace and a rapid resolution to the violence and suffering in Ukraine," said the title publisher via its latest tweet.
Niantic Pulls Out 'Pokemon GO' From Russia
Niantic announced that Russians can no longer download "Pokemon GO" in their country. The game publisher added that it will also suspend the actual gameplay in Russia and Belarus soon.
Pokemon GO players meet at Sydney Opera House on July 20, 2016 in Sydney, Australia. The Opera House hosted a Pokemon gathering, adding lures to all nearby Pokestops. The augmented reality app requires players to look for Pokemon in their immediate surroundings with the use of GPS and internet services turning the whole world into a Pokemon region map.
Also Read: 'Pokemon GO' Valentine's Day Event 2022: Flabebe, Collection Challenges, and MORE
According to Polygon's latest report, Niantic is the latest company to ban its games from Russia because of the ongoing conflict between the country and Ukraine.
We stand with the global community in hoping for peace and a rapid resolution to the violence and suffering in Ukraine. Niantic’s games are no longer available for download in Russia and Belarus, and gameplay will also be suspended there shortly.
— Niantic (@NianticLabs) March 11, 2022
Aside from "Pokemon GO," the game developer also said that it will also include other games, such as "Ingress" and "Pikmin Bloom" in its massive game suspension.
Niantic said that this is its way to support Ukraine. Of course, Russian citizens are questioning the decision of the company, saying why do they have to be affected even though they are also against the actions of their government as well.
Russian Citizens Question Niantic's Action
In the comment section of Niantic's Twitter announcement, many Russians were disappointed. They asked the company why will it suspend its game even though the consumers of "Pokemon GO" are just ordinary civilians.
One of them said that Niantic should consider their decision since the ones that will be affected by the suspension are those who are not in favor of the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
Another one said that "Pokemon GO" is one of the things that make him happy. The 16-year-old kid added that he really don't want people hurting each other.
Right now, Niantic hasn't announced if it will change its decision. The best thing you can do as a "Pokemon GO" fan in Russia is to wait for the game publisher's further actions.
In other news, LAPD police officers were recently fired after being caught playing "Pokemon GO" during a robbery. Meanwhile, the new "Pokemon GO" Lunar New Year event recently arrived.
For more news updates about "Pokemon GO" and other popular adventure games, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.
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Written by: Griffin Davis
