Sponsorships Coming To Pokemon Go

For all that Pokemon Go has garnered attention and acclaim since its release last week, there are still plenty of sceptics uncertain of how Nintendo can translate the game’s popularity into steady profits.

Many businesses have already leveraged the increased foot
traffic of the game but word is that developer Nantiac might look to monetize Pokestops,
the game’s digital landmarks.

Comments made by Niantic’s CEO John Hanke in an
interview with The Financial Times suggest that businesses may soon be able
to get in on the action by to spend money to ‘sponsor’ in-game locations –
drawing players to them.

He described it as the “second component to our business
model” and said that companies will soon be able to “pay us to be locations
within the virtual game board.”

Currently, Pokestop locations act as waystations on players
journeys where they can refuel on items to be used within the game.

Niantic made deals of a similar nature for their first game,
Ingress.

Reports
out of Gizmodo suggest that the company may have even already made plans
for a sponsorship deal with McDonalds, with one user finding the company’s logo
buried in the game’s code.