Pokémon Go players may soon find supply runs to local PokéStops sponsored by real-world companies. Developer Niantic will be bringing sponsored PokéStops to the game at some point down the road, a new way for the game to make money outside of the in-game items it already sells.
From The New York Times:
Like the most successful mobile games, while Pokémon Go is free to play, it gives players opportunities to buy virtual items for a few dollars to speed up their progress. The game's real-world nature also gives Niantic another intriguing moneymaking possibility, by charging fast-food restaurants, coffee shops and other retail establishments to become sponsored locations where people are motivated to go to pick up virtual loot.Niantic has cut deals like that for Ingress, and Mr. Hanke said the company would announce sponsored locations for Pokémon Go in the future.
Given how well Pokémon Go has done in its first week, it's likely that a number of companies will sign up to have their retail locations turned into PokéStops, hoping to get a piece of that success.
