Chinese and Russian Pokémon Go players have reported a brief window of regular gameplay this week – despite long-standing geo-blocking that typically makes the game inaccessible across most of these regions.
Reports collated on top Pokémon Go reddit TheSilphRoad show players able to send in-game postcards from Beijing’s Tiananmen Square, site of the 1989 student protest and massacre now subject to strict censorship by the country’s government.
For years, Pokémon Go has been unplayable in large swathes of China – and various tourists have recorded their experiences trying to load the smartphone game when visiting. No Pokémon will appear to catch, and no locations will appear on the map.
This changed, briefly, on Sunday evening, as an apparent glitch brought the game back to life across the country.
In Russia, where developer Niantic suspended Pokémon Go gameplay in March 2022, the same glitch saw gameplay return there too.
Intriguingly, in-game locations remain in Niantic’s database for both of these countries – although it seems unlikely either will return normally any time soon.
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