Yesterday, reports emerged that Pokemon Go would finally launch in China thanks to a newly struck partnership between the game's developer, Niantic, and Chinese tech company NetEase.
“We absolutely intend to bring our existing games into China,” Niantic CEO John Hanke told the Financial Times on Tuesday, without revealing any specific release date. “Beyond that, there are opportunities to build games in China, both for China and for the world.”
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But shortly after the news made headlines, NetEase denied that it was helping release Pokemon Go in China, according to state-run newspaper the Global Times.
NetEase made the statement after a Financial Times report noted on Tuesday that Pokémon Go will soon make its debut in Chinese mainland after its developer Niantic struck a partnership with NetEase. But NetEase said in article sent to the Global Times that the report has no clear evidence to support this conclusion.
According to NetEase, no interviewees in the report had revealed any information about Pokémon Go's potential debut in the Chinese market.
This isn't the first time we've heard rumors of an imminent Pokemon Go release. Back in August, speculation was rife that the monster-hunting game would make its big Middle Kingdom debut by the end of the month after Reddit users spotted training gyms while using their apps in China. That obviously never happened.
So will it or won't it finally be launched in China this year? Stay tuned to find out.
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