In less than a week since its release, Pokemon Go has topped the free app charts on the Apple Store and has been downloaded millions of times from Google Play and has become the top grossing app in the world, despite only officially being released in the United States, New Zealand and Australia.
The game’s producer, Nintendo, has delayed its release in other countries and regions as servers will need higher bandwidth to accommodate its unexpected popularity. But gamers have not been patient enough to wait. For Apple users, the solution was to create an account in one of those three countries.
“I mean, of course I didn’t want to wait,” said RB, who has been playing versions of Pokeman for years. “This is one of my childhood dreams, so I did the workaround and got it.”
Android users can download the file from unofficial sources, although Google recommends against it as it could be risky for phone security.
“I didn’t want to be behind everyone else,” said Nadim Nehme, 36, a Lebanese resident.
The app has become so popular across the world that some businesses have posted signs on their doors barring gamers from entering in search for hidden Pokemon.
nalwasmi@thenational.ae
