Pokémon GO has grown considerably since its initial launch back in 2016, bringing in multiple generations of Pokémon, new ways to interact with the world, and more. With the recent COVID-19 pandemic, players have been unable to go out and hunt as they normally would, but the company adapted by making it possible to play without leaving the house. Furthering their efforts, the company is now helping small businesses combat the financial strain of the quarantine with a new initiative that aims to provide aid through marketing tools, complimentary promotion, and more.

In a recent update, Niantic explained their passion for bringing communities together as well as their hope to continue supporting places that allow players to gather – whether it’s eating, playing, or just socializing in general. In the developer’s blog post, Niantic detailed what’s being called the Niantic Local Business Initiative, which gives players the ability to nominate various small and local businesses to appear as Sponsored Gyms or PokéStops in Pokémon GO.

Under this recovery program, businesses would gain access to marketing tools to help spread awareness of their establishments and products in a neat and engaging way such as “geo-targeted messaging and offers” that display for passers-by within the game. In all, the Pokémon GO developer has pledged to support 1,000 nominated local businesses as part of the initiative and provide “complimentary promotion” for a total of one year.

We’re excited to announce our upcoming Niantic Local Business Recovery Initiative. Plus, take a look at a recap of some quality-of-life updates that we’ve made to the game over the last few months and how they’ll be maintained moving forward. https://t.co/IoZ6IjiYq1

— Pokémon GO (@PokemonGoApp) June 15, 2020

Pokémon GO is currently available for Android and iOS. Players looking to nominate a business for themselves can do so through a dedicated page for the Niantic Local Business Initiative, with the nomination period set last from now until the very end of July.

Niantic has made some incredible strides with the title and it will be interesting where they go from here, both with Pokémon GO itself as well as the 10 new games that the company has in development. It’s good to see developers looking to help rebuild the communities that help their AR Pokémon adventure stay as successful as it has been over the years. Do you have a local business in mind that you’d like to nominate? Let us know your thoughts on Pokémon GO’s Niantic Local Business Recovery Initiative and more in the comments section below. As always don’t forget to follow Don’t Feed the Gamers on Twitter for 24/7 coverage of all things gaming and entertainment.

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