Pokmon Go Fever Hits Russia, Making Kremlin Nervous
Posted in: Uncategorized
More than a million people in Moscow are playing Pokmon Go, the mobile game that’s dominating download charts in three dozen countries. The number is especially impressive because the game isn’t supposed to be available in Russia.
Despite attempts by app developer Niantic to manage global demand, fans in Russia and elsewhere have taken special steps to track down and install Pokmon Go before it’s released officially, a process that sometimes involves tricking their phones into thinking they live in another country. Russian carrier Mobile TeleSystems PJSC estimates that 1.37 million people are playing Pokmon Go on major wireless networks in Moscow, a more than seven-fold increase from a week ago.
Corporate giants in Russia are trying to capture some of the excitement and drive people into their stores. VimpelCom, the country’s third-biggest mobile carrier, said retail staff will teach customers how to get around region blocks to download the game. Sberbank PJSC, the country’s largest financial lender, has purchased items in the app to lure the game’s creatures to locations near 29 branches in large cities, boosting traffic of younger clients looking to catch ’em all.
Post a Comment