Pikachu was welcomed home by thousands of enthusiastic Japanese gamers today as the global phenomenon that is Pokemon Go finally launched in its native market.
The smartphone app has now been launched in more than 40 countries, including the US and much of Europe, but Japan-where Nintendo started the mythical creature franchise 20 years ago-was kept waiting.
The suspense lasted for days, as international media reports about a timeline for the Japan rollout kept changing, and Nintendo, the Pokemon Company, and the game’s US-based developer Niantic all declined to comment.