Dear Niantic, you could’ve done better.
Rio was in trouble. Out of all the improvements they could’ve made to prepare the city for the Summer Olympics, or the care they could’ve put into ensuring that the Athletes’ Village met safety requirements, they still couldn’t get Pokémon Go available for competitors.
So yes, the city has a massive crime problem and the whole affair was just a horrible idea to begin with, but now athletes don’t even have the luxury of catching Pikachus in their downtime (if they can find a Pikachu anyway). Thanks for that.
Niantic’s wildly successful augmented reality app has been released in at least 28 countries so far, but not in Brazil. People who downloaded the app in their countries can still access it, but no Pokéstops appear and so far, no Pokémon have shown up.
According to the Associated Press, the company didn’t specify when the game could be released there, but rumors circulated that it could be Sunday. So far, there hasn’t been anything, meaning that athletes are taking to Twitter to vent their frustrations.
No Pokemon in Deodoro Olympic venue! Or in Brazil!?? 💔😩📍 @NianticLabs @PokemonGoApp @Pokemon #PokemonGO #Rio2016 pic.twitter.com/xiRMcqhXfV
— Joe Clarke MBE (@joeclarkek1) July 26, 2016
Finally found @PokemonGoApp on the Olympic Village @Rio2016 😱🇧🇷 #Rio2016 @NianticLabs pic.twitter.com/dFMFWLw7xA
— Matthieu Péché – OLY (@MatthieuPECHE) July 27, 2016
Want to know the worst thing about the Olympic village? No @PokemonGoApp. Otherwise, it's incredible.
— Abby Johnston (@AbbyLJohnston) July 26, 2016
https://twitter.com/embed/status/757399136719233025
Here’s hoping Niantic can get the app up and running there in time, so that athletes have something to distract them from the shit water.
