According to a recent statement from Niantic chief executive John Hanke, sponsored Pokéstops will become part of the immensely popular mobile game in the future. As he explains, business owners will be able to purchase Pokéstops in order to create foot traffic around their stores. Advertisers would be charged on a cost-per-visit basis, which based on the popularity, could end up being quite lucrative for Niantic. The idea is, frankly, genius. I must admit that purchase-able items in the store are a lure, but there is no way Niantic could be satisfied with Angry Birds money when they’re capable of Uber money. This monetizes an obviously valuable commodity that is beneficial to players, advertisers, and Niantic all in one move. But where does it end? Apparently, it doesn’t have to stop at all. From the sounds of it, the money-making possibilities are endless and that is a bit scary. With sponsored Pokéstops, will other non-paying Pokéstops have to be eliminated? Will rare Pokémon be exclusively found in wealthy neighborhoods that can shell out the green for sponsored lures? Will Pokémon Go become a goofy model for the wealth inequality issues this country faces today? This monetization is a good move for Niantic on a basic level. Unfortunately, the potential implications are a lot more concerning for the future of the game when you think about it for more time than it takes to catch a Blastoise. Photo: Pokemon Go user Haloi
