Niantic Local Business Recovery Initiative launched – Could Your FLGS Benefit?

Ah Niantic. The sole reason my steps count took a marked increase four years ago, as the ‘gotta catch em’ all’ requirement of Pokemon, (but specifically of Pokemon Go), also applied to my desire for a Gyrados and later, to a Waillord. Ah, simpler times.

We're talking about Niantic as the creators of Pokemon Go, as they have announced a Local Business Recovery Initiative, and it’s possible to nominate now. In short, they recognise that we’ve been experiencing unprecedented hardship recently, and Pokemon Go has always been about the community. As a way to help, it is offering you the opportunity to nominate a local business, and if selected, that business will receive Pokemon Go promotion for one year.

What this actually means is that it Pokestops or Gyms, would appear at the physical shop location (as sponsored) and the businesses will have the opportunity to run additional in-game promotional campaigns as a result. This, in turn, is expected to bring location and product offering awareness, display geotargeted messaging, and create a fun experience for the visiting players.

You can offer one nomination per player, and you have until July 31, 2020, at 11:59 pm PDT, to nominate. Of course, nomination doesn’t guarantee it’ll get picked, plus there are always terms and conditions applicable.

We can’t help but think this would be a perfect fit for a Friendly Local Game Store, or Board Game Café? As they begin to re-open, any additional support that can be supplied will likely be welcomed, and any additional drive to stores (so long as it is safe to do so!) will support their longevity.  

We have a list of game stores available on our site, and now could be a great time support or get to know your locals, so get nominating, let them know that this exists, and hopefully we’ll be seeing our FLGS crop up in Pokemon Go!

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