It's already August and the rest of the world is waiting on when they can finally get their hands on "Pokemon Go." Southeast Asia, most of all, is wondering when they can finally start catching them all. Is it possible that Singapore might be next on the list?
It might just be the case. Comments the Singaporean government made over the possible (negative) effects "Pokemon Go" might have on Singaporean society are leading some to believe so. According to The Straits Times, communications minister Yaacob Ibrahim said that the government will closely monitor its effects on Singapore, considering that a lot of unwanted incidents involving the game have happened in other countries.
The biggest reason why some people believe the game is coming to Singapore is because Japan made a similar motion to monitor "Pokemon Go" before it came out there back in July 22. Some believe that the government is already preparing guidelines and ordinances for an imminent release, but there just isn't any dates even rumored for that release.
A fake Twitter account with the handle @PokemonGo_SG spread a rumor that "Pokemon Go" would drop in the city on July 25, but the internet quickly exposed the news as a fake. There are some parts of Southeast Asia beyond Hong Kong in which "Pokemon Go" is unblocked.
It's partially playable in India, Bangladesh, Maldives, and Nepal. A small town in South Korea called Sochko, near the border with North Korea, is the only region in which the game is playable, drawing busloads of tourists. Time reports the game is invigorating the sleepy town's tourism and industry.
The rest aren't so lucky, and with virtually no news coming from developer Niantic on a possible "Pokemon Go" release date, players are getting antsy. A bigger rollout was rumored for the end of July, but it clearly has not happened yet.