Pokemon Go creator wants more tie ups like McDonald's Japan
03/08/2016 03:46
By Lisa Richwine
RANCHO PALOS VERDES, California, Aug 2 (Reuters) - The
creator of mobile gaming phenomenon Pokemon Go is exploring more
sponsorships by companies that want to attract character-hunting
players to their businesses, the chief executive of developer
Niantic Labs said on Tuesday.
Niantic is talking with several companies interested in
partnerships similar to the deal that turned nearly 3,000
McDonald's restaurants in Japan 2702.T into stops for
collecting virtual supplies or "gyms" for on-screen battles,
Niantic Chief Executive John Hanke said.
Paid sponsorships can reduce the company's reliance on
in-app purchases by players to generate revenue, Hanke said at
the GamesBeat 2016 conference.
"It's tough to understand where you want to draw the line,"
Hanke said. By adding sponsorships, the company felt "we
wouldn't have to cave to that pressure to just dial it up a
little more."
Pokemon Go exploded after its introduction in the United
States on July 6, sending players into city streets, offices,
parks and restaurants to search for colorful animated
characters.
The smartphone game uses augmented reality and Google
mapping to make animated characters appear in the real world.
Players see creatures overlaid on the nearby landscape that they
see through a mobile phone camera.
The game has been downloaded more than 100 million times,
according to analytics company App Annie, and earns more than
$10 million in daily revenue.
Japanese company Nintendo Co 7974.T owns a large stake in
the game's publisher, The Pokemon Company, and has seen its
stock price surge after the runaway success of Pokemon Go.
The game also has prompted safety warnings after players
glued to their phones stumbled, were robbed or wandered into
dangerous places.
Hanke said he is eager for devices that will help people to
be more alert about their surroundings while playing the game.
Nintendo is developing a device that can be worn on the wrist
and alerts players when a Pokemon creature is nearby. The
company had planned to debut the product in July but postponed
its launch until September.
Wearable devices that work with augmented reality "will give
people a way to play the game and not look at their phone all
the time and look around them at the interesting places we are
trying to help them discover," Hanke said.
"I'm very excited about investing in that area, about
building prototypes and bringing our gaming products to that
hardware as it comes to market," he said.
(Reporting by Lisa Richwine; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)
((lisa.richwine@thomsonreuters.com;)(Follow me on Twitter
@LARichwine;)(1 213 955 6776; Reuters Messaging:
lisa.richwine@thomsonreuters.com))
Keywords: NINTENDO POKEMON/