Nintendo Co's (7974.T)
shares on Wednesday gave up some of their meteoric gains made on the
record-breaking success of its Pokemon GO mobile game, hurt in part by a
reported delay for the game's introduction in Japan.
Technology news site
TechCrunch said that game developer Niantic Inc had planned to launch Pokemon
GO in Japan on Wednesday but had canceled it, citing a source as saying that
the company was worried the hype generated by the game would overload its
servers.
TechCrunch said it believed
that the launch in Japan, one of the world's biggest gaming markets, was
imminent.
A spokeswoman for Pokemon
Company, which created the game along with Nintendo and Google-spinoff Niantic,
declined to comment on the report, reiterating that nothing had been decided
over the Japan launch date. Nintendo referred any queries regarding Pokemon GO
to Pokemon Company.
Pokemon GO, which marries a
classic 20-year-old franchise with augmented reality, is on its way to becoming
the first mobile game to break the $4 billion-per-year wall, beating Candy
Crush Saga and Supercell's Clash of Clans, according to Macquarie Research.
Shares of Japan's McDonald's
Holdings Co (2702.T) piggy-backed the Pokemon GO craze, rising 8 percent after
TechCrunch reported on Tuesday the fast-food chain operator would become the
game's first sponsor.
TechCrunch said the
sponsorship will see McDonald's 3,000-plus fast food restaurants across Japan
become "gyms", or battlegrounds, for Pokemon collectors.
McDonald's Japan shares
soared as much as 23 percent to their highest level since late 2001 on Tuesday,
the first day of trade since its stores started giving away Pokemon-themed toys
with its Happy Meals last Friday.
Credit: Reuters
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