Pokémon Go hits Japan at last

  • 22/07/2016
The game lets players interact with virtual characters in the real world (Reuters)
The game lets players interact with virtual characters in the real world (Reuters)

Nintendo's Pokémon Go mobile game has finally launched in Japan, bringing the record-setting global hit to the home of the Pokémon characters.

Japan, one of the world's biggest gaming markets, joins Australia, the US, Canada and more than 30 countries in Europe to have the "augmented-reality" game, in which players interact with virtual characters in the real world.

The game was created by Nintendo, Niantic, and Pokémon Co. Nintendo owns a third of Pokémon Co, and both have undisclosed stakes in Niantic.

Nintendo shares climbed more than 4 percent in Tokyo trading on Friday.

Shares of Japan's McDonald's Holdings Co, which has turned its stores into spots where Pokémon can be battled or "trained" in the game, briefly surged 7 percent.

Reuters