Pokemon GO craze breaks into Germany, still not in Japan

The “Pokémon Go” craze is spreading to Europe.

Niantic Inc. on Wednesday said the smash hit augmented-reality game is available for download in Germany, making it the first country on the continent to gain official access to the app. The game was already available in the U.S., Australia and New Zealand.

“Pokémon Go” flew to the top of app-store charts after its July 6 debut on iOS and Android devices. People tuning into social-media feeds were inundated with references to Pokémon creatures and “PokeStops,” usually real-world places such as libraries, churches and landmarks.

The announcement Wednesday was unexpected since Niantic, which developed “Pokémon Go” in partnership with Pokémon Co. and Nintendo Co. was forced to hit pause on the game’s international rollout after its servers were overloaded following the U.S. launch last week.

The limited rollout has upset some longtime Pokémon fans. The game, for example, isn’t yet available in Japan, the land that gave birth to the franchise.

Source: Market Watch