Pokemon Go won’t be releasing in China until authorities can evaluate potential security, safety risks

By Brenna Hillier

Pokemon Go and other augmented reality apps have been blocked from release in China.

Pokemon fans in China will be waiting quite a while for mobile sensation Pokemon Go.

Reuters reports China’s State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television has elected not to license Pokemon Go and its AR peers until it has evaluated the risks.

Child panel the China Audio-video and Digital Publishing Association said Pokemon Go could potentially present a threat “to geographical information security” and “to transport and the personal safety of consumers”.

Pokemon Go has come under scrutiny as Chinese developers have begun creating similar AR games, which triggered the organisation’s “high level of responsibility to national security and the safety of people’s lives and property” as it contemplates whether to extend licenses to these products.

Whether Chinese authorities eventually decide AR games are safe for public consumption or not, Chinese release seems unlikely for Pokemon Go – it pulls from Google Maps, which is blocked in China.