To call Pokémon GO the most downloaded mobile game ever on any platform would be doing its creator Niantic Labs a grave disservice. The wildly popular augmented reality game has had more downloads in the first seven days of its launch than any other mobile app at a similar stage. What’s even more remarkable is that the game isn’t even officially available everywhere around the world yet. Having said that though, die-hard Pokémon GO fans in those regions where the game isn’t accessible on Google Play, continue to sideload it by downloading the APK file from many Android file-hosting sites on the net. While security researchers have warned against hacked Pokémon GO APKs that reportedly come with a malicious remote access tool (RAT) called ‘DroidJack’, such warnings have, by all accounts, failed to dampen the spirits of Pokémon GO aficionados in most regions around the world.
As more people start taking a liking towards the game, reports have even claimed that some have been giving up their jobs in order to search for Pokémon full time. A recent report even indicated that a New York resident has already established himself as the ultimate ‘Pokemaster’ by catching all 142 Pokémon that one can realistically hope to find in the U.S. However, even as everybody you know seems to be spending hours chasing virtual creatures in the real world, the man credited as being the brains behind the app that has now transcended the gaming niche and become a pop-culture phenomenon, is apparently yet to master the game himself.
Mr. John Hanke, the CEO of Niantic Labs, is apparently still stuck at Level 5, according to an interview of his published by Forbes earlier today. That, however, doesn’t necessarily mean that Mr. Hanke is uninterested in the game he helped create. The simple fact is that it has been a hectic couple of weeks for the man at the helm of affairs at the company responsible for the phenomenon. The game is already the number one free mobile app on any platform in 36 countries around the world, but such popularity brings its own set of problems. The game’s built-in tracker has reportedly had several issues with it for days, and with the Niantic servers acting up occasionally under the heavy load, some have even claimed that the company intentionally turned off its radar functionality to ease the load on its servers. Evidently, Mr. Hanke has more pressing issues at hand in the real world rather than running after virtual critters.