Smartphone game, a craze elsewhere, hasn’t yet been released in the land of Pokémon’s birth
TOKYO—These are restless days for Meg Sawai.
“I monitor Twitter and check the App Store every day before I go to sleep to see whether it has arrived,” said Ms. Sawai, a 20-year videogame fan in Tokyo.
She is waiting for “Pokémon Go,” a smartphone game generating a craze in the U.S. The game app became available there about a week ago, but many countries remain left behind—even Japan, the nation that brought Pokémon’s child-friendly monsters into the world.
Producing Pokémon in all its guises—games, cards, television shows and merchandise—is the job of Tokyo-based Pokémon Co., 32%-owned by Nintendo Co. But the newsmartphone game isn’t purely a Pokémon Co. creation, which may be one reason that Japan isn’t getting the front-of-the-line treatment to which it is accustomed.
Niantic Inc., a spinout from Alphabet Inc.’s Google, co-developed the game and distributed it in the U.S., Australia and New Zealand first. Pokémon Co. said the game is now available in Germany too.
“It’s clear that Pokémon [Co.]’s job in this project was just some advising,” said Serkan Toto, a Tokyo-based videogame consultant. “Pokémon Go is a U.S. game.” Pokémon Co., which owns a stake in Niantic, described its role in the project as a producer.
“Pokémon Go” uses augmented-reality technology that blends digital images with a person’s view of the real world. Players have been scouring parks, subway stops and other locations for the cute monsters.
Niantic and Pokémon Co. say they plan to make the game available in other regions, including Japan, but haven’t elaborated. A Pokémon Co. spokeswoman declined to give details.
On social media in Japan, people have expressed anger and dismay. Kenji Kajiwara,chief executive of Tokyo-based gadget startup Chikaku Inc., said he understands the slow launch because he used to work at a software company, but wonders why the U.S. preceded Japan.
“It would be best if Japan was first because Pokémon is a Japanese franchise,” said Mr. Kajiwara, who is ready to play the game with his two sons.
The Japanese smartphone game market is one of the world’s largest, worth about $9 billion last year, according to videogame magazine Famitsu. Analysts say the Japanese market could generate as much revenue as the U.S. or more because of casual gamers like Mr. Kajiwara, who said he doesn’t own any videogame consoles but is ready to make in-app purchases when “Pokémon Go” arrives.
Pokémon Co. declined to discuss why the game isn’t yet available in Japan, but analysts said safety issues and the potential for overloaded game servers might be playing a role.
Players in the U.S. say they still have some difficulties playing the game, and Niantic said data traffic was more than it expected. Injuries were also reported because the game tends to keep users’ eyes pinned to their smartphone screens. Authorities issued warnings to stay alert.
“Niantic wants to make sure to fix these issues before introducing the game to Japan because it will be huge here,” said Mr. Toto, the videogame consultant.
Nintendo’s share price fell 4.4.% Wednesday to ¥21,830 ($208.52), but it is still well above the ¥14,000 level where it stood last week before the game’s introduction.
Sales of Pokémon games and related merchandise since its introduction 20 years ago exceeds ¥4.6 trillion, or $43.9 billion, according to Pokémon Co.
Ms. Sawai, the fan awaiting “Pokémon Go,” first encountered the creatures in the videogame “Pokémon SoulSilver,” released in 2009. She said she couldn’t wait to see how “Pokémon Go” would alter her routine.
“I’m sure it would bring a change to my lifestyle, because I tend not to get out much,” she said.
