Originally introduced in 2016, Pokemon Go quickly became a global craze, with millions of players across the globe participating. Pokemon GO, which is still regarded as the globe’s one of the widely used smartphone applications, maintains to bring in huge sums of money for its creators, Niantic and The Game Publisher.
However, there are millions of people worldwide who are excited about playing Pokemon GO. However, the app is now unavailable to Russian and Belarusian players.
Niantic Cut Its Ties With Kremlin
The publishers and game makers have confirmed that its titles will no longer be accessible for purchase in Russia or Belarus as part of its efforts to express its solidarity for Ukraine and assist to the rising restrictions upon Putin. In addition, Niantic has said that it would be stopping gaming activities in Russia and Belarus entirely for Pokemon GO and several other titles that share a similar banner.
Additionally, Niantic is well-known for Pikmin Bloom, Ingress, as well as Pokemon Go. In addition, Harry Potter: Wizards Unite was a virtual reality application that was shuttered on January 31, 2022.
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
As a result, Russian and Belarusian Pokemon GO gamers will lose out on existing and forthcoming activities, such as the continuing Season of Alola, which introduces Generation 7 Pokemon to the platform, and also the limited-time Celebration of Colors, which begins about a week after that.
Niantic is the latest in a long line of video gaming firms to pull out of Moscow. With such steps, Russia’s leadership hopes that cutting off exposure to media and perhaps various things, will exert weight on it to stop its assault on Ukraine.
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Russia’s financial system has been devastated as a result of these measures and the sizeable financial restrictions on the Kremlin. In response to the restrictions, the Russian currency is now valued just under Roblox tokens. The momentum on Putin to cease its incursion of Ukraine is increasing, but it’s not yet clear if the measures would have the intended impact.
The Russian authorities have essentially legalized infringement as a countermeasure to videogame firms ceasing distribution in the country. That’s a viable option for numerous titles, but doing it well in Pokemon GO will be far more difficult. Since Niantic is generally very in front of these things, it’s probable that it would be capable to find out whether Russian Pokemon GO users are faking and issuing suspensions appropriately.
