Even before launch, Pokemon Go mania fizzes out in India

What is common among Yogi Hills in Mulund, Juhu Beach, Gateway of India, Mithibai Signal, Byculla Zoo, Upvan Lake in Thane, Hauz Khas and Lodhi Gardens in New Delhi? They are all "hotspots" that youngsters have been thronging since July in search of Pokemon Go characters.

But not anymore. The crowd has dispersed within a month. Most of the users of the GPS-based augmented reality game have already lost interest, even as it is yet to be officially launched in India.

Organised 'Pokewalks' in cities such as Mumbai and New Delhi, in which hundreds were gathering to catch Pokemon, have also lost their sheen.

"I stopped playing the game completely two weeks ago," says Varun Jadhav (18), a Mumbai-based gamer. And he is not alone. Several aficionados across the country admit that they are no longer passionate about the game, to which they were addicted just three weeks ago.

Apart from boredom, gamers blame technical snags and server issues for their loss of interest. "I stopped playing after technical snags messed up the game," says Sarthak Saraswat, a Chennai-based journalist.

"Those who were too much into it have stopped playing because of boredom. Moreover, the game gets tougher as you go beyond level 28, which is another reason of people logging out," says Aman Agrawal (24), a level-22 gamer from Mumbai, who works with a financial firm.

Worldwide, 10-12 million daily active users are reported to have exited the game, which had almost 45 million users, according to various reports. The Axion Capital Management's research pegs the figure at 15 million. Since the app is not officially launched in India, authentic figures are unavailable. Experts speculate a near 1/3rd decline in the "user base".

A Bengaluru-based IT engineer says, "There were several issues with the game and its server. Unfortunately, the Niantic never addressed those issues. Their social media handles were unresponsive, which made the users even more frustrated."

"It has been more than a month since fans in India have been asking for a release date, but our queries have not been answered," rues a fan, who deleted the app last week.

The GPS-based game had gripped people across the world soon after its launch in July. Developed by Niantic Labs, a subsidiary of Nintendo, the game had peaked the download charts of app stores on both iOS and Android.

Indian gamers have obtained the pirated version through Internet. Many are using virtual private networks (VPNs) to change their location and catch Pokemons in New York and London, while sitting in their homes in India.

Over 150 species of Pokémon are up for "capture", some of them are "rare". While popular places such as historical monuments and parks are considered as "hot destinations", some water-type Pokémon may appear only near lakes and oceans.

Such was the craze among youngsters that Shiv Sena MLC Neelam Gorhe had raised the issue in the Maharashtra assembly, seeking a ban on the game to save children from addiction.

The game allows players to search, capture, fight and train different species of colourful cartoons on the screen, like they would do in real life.

In Mumbai, Shivaji Park is believed to be one of the best places to catch Pokemons. "One can catch up to 40 different Pokemons in less than half an hour," says Akshat Gupta, an MBA student.

Byculla Zoo, Gateway of India, Juhu Beach, Mithibai circle, Gateway of India and Dadar station-market are also considered hotspots. Several youngsters were seen capturing Pokemons till late night. "The crowd has thinned, affecting our business," says a vada-pav vendor near the Mithibai circle.