Nintendo delays Pokémon Go launch in France “as a sign of respect” for Nice victims

Pokemon Go screenshot 001

Last Thursday’s deadly terrorist attack in France’s Nice left eighty-four people dead when an attacker ploughed a lorry into people celebrating the national Bastille Day on the Promenade des Anglais. In the aftermath of the attack, Nintendo is postponing the planned release of Pokémon Go in the country out of respect for the French people “in this time of national mourning,” a Pokémon Company spokesperson told IGN France.

The release in France had originally been scheduled for last Friday, as part of a major expansion into a total of 26 European countries.

This morning, Pokémon Go launched on the Canadian App Store.

“As a sign of respect for the French people in this time of national mourning, the release of Pokemon Go is postponed,” said the Pokemon Company in a statement. “Our thoughts and prayers are with France and the victims affected by this terrible attack.”

It’s unclear when Pokémon Go will release to French smartphone users.

Nice is located in the Côte d’Azur area on the south east coast of France on the Mediterranean Sea. It’s the second-largest French city on the Mediterranean coast and the second-largest city in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region after Marseille.

85 people remain in hospital following the attack, eighteen of them in critical condition, reports BBC. A minute of silence has been observed in Nice and other locations.

Pokémon Go players in the United States, New Zealand and Australia can download the latest versions of the mobile Yelp app that provides a new PokéStop filter.

Source: IGN France