(Yicai Global) Jan. 8 -- China's internet heavyweight NetEase, Inc. has denied speculation that it will release augmented reality mobile game Pokemon Go in China. The company's statement follows widespread media reports suggesting the game will make its debut in the country with the world's largest number of internet users following its investment in the game developer Niantic Labs.

NetEase [NASDAQ:NTES] denied the speculation on Jan. 6, saying the firm did invest in Niantic, but it did not mean the game is set to land in China, online news outlet Stcn.com reported without giving further details.

Britain's Financial Times reported earlier this year that Niantic partnered with NetEase to release Pokemon Go in China. In November 2017, Niantic secured investments totaling USD200 million in which NetEase participated. The funding valued Niantic at more than USD1 billion.

The company needed this investment from the Chinese game company in order to legally release Pokemon Go in China, FT said in its report. "We absolutely intend to bring our existing games into China," John Hanke, Niantic's chief executive, told FT in an interview, without revealing a release date. "Beyond that, there are opportunities to build games in China, both for China and for the world," he added.

Pokemon Go was released in 2016 by Nintendo Co., a Japanese game giant and the developer of Pokemon series, together with Niantic Labs. The game uses AR technology and Google Map to combine Pokemon's exploration, capture and battle functions with the real-world scenes.

However, there are some obstacles in introducing the game in China because Google Map cannot be used in the country. However, Pokemon Go developers gave up on Google Map at the end of 2017, and has adopted OpenStreetMap as its new mapping system, which could pave the way for its launch in the world's largest mobile market.