Niantic launches a program to support small businesses
Through the augmented reality video game Pokémon GO, it will be possible to help revitalize local communities
Niantic, the developer of the augmented reality video game for mobile Pokémon GO, has launched an initiative with which it seeks to help small local businesses by adding them as places of interest to the game map.
This program aims to “help revitalize local communities” and proximity businesses affected by the Covid-19 crisis, and will include 1,000 businesses for free, as Niantic reported in a statement.
For the initiative, the study has asked Pokémon GO players in the United States, Canada, Mexico and the United Kingdom to nominate their establishments, and has selected 1,000 of the 38,000 nominations in this way. These businesses, which have to be “small and local”, with a limit of five establishments per company, are present in Pokémon GO from this Monday, and must adhere to the requirements of the health authorities.
The establishments are present in the augmented reality video game in the form of “poképaradas” or gyms to “highlight these businesses” to coaches and “help the recovery of businesses and their communities,” according to the study.
In the future, Niantic anticipates that “these small businesses will not only become poképaradas or gyms, but will also be authorized to run promotional campaigns that reach nearby players and participate in other in-game events and new features.”
Source: dpa
