Pokémon GO: Why Okinawan Pikachu’s Release is Being Delayed

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4 years ago

Pokémon GO Updates: Recently Pokemon Go has announced that players may have to wait a little longer for the special edition of Pokemon Go while it was scheduled to release on 22nd July 2021.

Why was there a delay for the new special edition?

Trainers and players looking to add the latest themed Pikachu to their Pokemon Go collection will have to wait longer, Niantic announced. And Niantic further reported that it has postponed indefinitely the release of Okinawan Pikachu.

Pokemon Go is battling this pandemic and is facing many problems as the pandemic has slowed down the ability of players to go outside to interact in the game. For months, Niantic had adjusted the game to make it easier for players to get rewards or catch Pokémon without leaving home.

However, in June 2021, Niantic announced it would roll out some of these changes to Pokémon Go as some parts of the world reopen, which would theoretically allow people to play in more public places once again. And because of this epidemic, this game had to be postponed further.

Japan has imposed strict restrictions on foreigners coming to their country because of covid-19. It is currently not possible to go to Japan, even if a Japanese wants to go to his country, so they have put strict restrictions in place. However, there seem to be exceptions for those associated with the Olympics.

When will Pokémon GO new release date come?

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The recent incident is almost certainly the reason Japan has imposed a state of emergency because of the recent rising cases of COVID-19, as reported by Niantic. Currently, the state of emergency is likely to last until August 22, 2021, with various restrictions partially limiting gatherings and travel.

Given that Okinawan Pikachu is part of a push to boost tourism, it is unlikely it will launch the game before the state of emergency is over. The players will have to wait at least till the end of August, even after that they will know what is to come. If fall 2021 doesn’t bode well, that’s before Niantic feels comfortable launching Pokémon Air Adventures.

Players can take some comfort because, unlike other Pokémon Go limited-time events, Okinawan Pikachu will eventually be available to catch for an entire year, rather than weeks or days.

Surely the hype could get a new release date once the state of emergency is over.