Pokemon GoUpdate time! It looks like Rio finally got its act together when it comes to Pokémon Go. The Facebook page for the game posted, "Central and South America - Break out the sneakers and Poké Balls, and get ready to explore the world around you. We are excited to officially be putting Pokémon GO in the hands of our Latin American fans, visitors, and the athletes in Rio!" How long until they make this an Olympic sport?
As if Zika and questionable living conditions weren't enough to deal with at the Olympics this year, athletes have one more hurdle to overcome. Those arriving in Rio for the games have discovered a harsh reality: there are no Pokémon in Olympic Village. We know. Ring the alarm, right? One would think since Pokémon Go is all about walking, gyms and trainers, Rio 2016 would be ripe with Jigglypuff's. Quite the opposite. The game, Quartz notes, is only available in the States, Asia and Europe, meaning Brazil is a Poké dead zone.
@NianticLabs @PokemonGoApp no Pokemon on the Olympic Village ?????? pic.twitter.com/hsQhhH5zbq
— Matthieu PECHE (@MatthieuPECHE) July 25, 2016
While you can still open your app if you have it, it's going to look a lot like the above tweet. In other words, you'll just be torturing yourself. We're guessing visitors and athletes of the 2016 Olympics will have plenty of other things to do to keep them occupied, but that doesn't make this any less of an unfortunate problem that should be addressed as soon as possible.
Apparently, Rio Mayor Eduardo Paes tried via Facebook post, to bring some Pokémon to the area in time for the games. Sadly he wasn't able to make it happen, but it's the thought that counts. Besides, Rio de Janeiro is the very first city in South America to host the Olympic Games. We're pretty sure that's a better accomplishment than being able to say you saw a Pikachu on a public toilet.
(Originally published Aug. 1, 2016)
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