Pokémon Go Courts Frappuccino Lovers As 7,800 Starbucks Stores Host Pokemon Gyms And Pokestops
Does anyone remember Pokemon Go, the wildly popular mobile app that took the world by storm and turned every man, woman, and child into inattentive pedestrians? Well, there are still people who play the game. What's more, Niantic continues to actively update the app as well as forge new partnerships, like the one it just did with Starbucks.
That's right, coffee joint that always manages to find its way into headlines one way or another is now an official partner of Pokemon Go. As such, it is planning to transform 7,800 company-operated Starbucks stores in the United States into Pokestops and Poke Gyms. This will go into effect starting at 11:00 AM Pacific (2:00 PM Eastern) today, December 8.
"Starbucks has a long-standing commitment to providing spaces for social interaction and real-world community building in its extensive network of locations. We appreciate their role in creating safe, welcoming locations for people from all walks of life to come together for refreshment and social engagement," Starbucks said.
If all this sounds foreign, then you somehow managed to miss out on the Pokemon Go craze. It's an augmented reality game that has people go in search of Pokemon characters. Using a phone or tablet's built-in camera, the cartoonish Pokemon characters appear in real-life settings, allowing you to take a picture and/or attempt to capture them.
Once captured, you can battle other people's characters in Gyms, which are locations around town that host these battles. Owning a gym comes with perks.
As for Pokestops, these are designated places that contain in-game items such as Pokeballs, which are used to capture the characters.
Pokemon Go is a hint of things to come. It successfully tapped into the potential of using augmented reality in an effective way. In doing so, it not only drew the attention of Pokemon fans who always dreamed for hunting the cartoon critters, it also attracted people from all walks of life. For a period of time, it was not unusual to see crowds of people wandering around outside looking down at their smartphones.
That's right, coffee joint that always manages to find its way into headlines one way or another is now an official partner of Pokemon Go. As such, it is planning to transform 7,800 company-operated Starbucks stores in the United States into Pokestops and Poke Gyms. This will go into effect starting at 11:00 AM Pacific (2:00 PM Eastern) today, December 8.
"Starbucks has a long-standing commitment to providing spaces for social interaction and real-world community building in its extensive network of locations. We appreciate their role in creating safe, welcoming locations for people from all walks of life to come together for refreshment and social engagement," Starbucks said.
If all this sounds foreign, then you somehow managed to miss out on the Pokemon Go craze. It's an augmented reality game that has people go in search of Pokemon characters. Using a phone or tablet's built-in camera, the cartoonish Pokemon characters appear in real-life settings, allowing you to take a picture and/or attempt to capture them.
Once captured, you can battle other people's characters in Gyms, which are locations around town that host these battles. Owning a gym comes with perks.
As for Pokestops, these are designated places that contain in-game items such as Pokeballs, which are used to capture the characters.
Pokemon Go is a hint of things to come. It successfully tapped into the potential of using augmented reality in an effective way. In doing so, it not only drew the attention of Pokemon fans who always dreamed for hunting the cartoon critters, it also attracted people from all walks of life. For a period of time, it was not unusual to see crowds of people wandering around outside looking down at their smartphones.
