Starbucks Confirms Pokémon GO Collaboration, 7,800 Outlets To Become In-Game Locations

Now I have a legitimate reason to go to Starbucks everyday.

I will give it a try. Seems like an interesting demographic for Starbucks to go after, but it has done smartphone app promotions in the past. Are we going to see a bunch of young teens on bikes rolling into Starbucks, though? Or hanging out around the front doors? Maybe it's just old people like me that play anymore so, no problem.

Pretty sure they will turn the Starbucks next to my job into a PokeStop. Would be weird having 2 PokeGyms (the other is a statue around 10 steps away) next to each other.

Guess it's a good time to use my Starbucks' gift card.

They can make Starbucks a Pokéstop but not my local pub?

I demand Pokemon themed ales, not coffee.

Is it US only, or will this apply to UK Starbucks as well?

@aaronsullivan "Seems like an interesting demographic for Starbucks"

My first thought was, "Great, now we can have a bunch of kids hooked on caffeine." Hadn't thought about the teens on bikes blocking the doorways though, that is something that could come back and bite them. Great marketing move by Starbucks though, whatever they paid for it. Maybe all Starbucks can become Nintendo hotspot zones next? Or have a Switch tie-in?

What do you think @Damo is Nintendo getting anything out of this now or in the future? You wrote the entire article w/o even mentioning Nintendo once, I triple checked. OK, I'll stop now, twice in 1 day is enough.

@teamshortcut

Well the article says - "7,800 company-operated Starbucks outlets in the US" - so I would say it's US only. Feels like Starbucks has about 7,800 stores in New York City alone so I doubt this could be international.

But what about Canada?! Surely we'll get some right?

Slowly giving up on Go, I'm sick of spending money for more Pokeballs that run out in a day or two. Seriously, can't tell you how many times I get trolled by Pokemon I'm trying to catch.

@rjejr Starbucks used to be a NintendoZone when they used AT&T WiFi. Within the last two years, they switched to Google WiFi, and the Nintendo Zone functionality was dropped.

@Knuckles Thanks, interesting stuff. Of course I guess we should find out what Nintneod plans to do w/ Switch regarding hotspots and streetpass before I worry too much about it. Always getting ahead of myself. But I can so see a TV commercial w/ hipsters playing 2 player Switch while sitting in a Starbucks. So gonna happen.

@rjejr LOL, fair enough then! Hopefully it'll expand to other regions as well.

ofc us only -.-

So it begins.

Meh. There are so many poke stops in Seattle and better coffee places next to poke stops that this event doesn't even do anything.

@ultraraichu Wow, that was fast.

@Equinox True. By the way my previous comment was meant as a joke. There would be no reason for me to buy crap from there. If I did go to Starbucks, it would only be for Pokemon GO.

@Joeynator3000 I haven't spent money at all, I just go to areas with lots of pokestops and fill up.

@Joeynator3000 Oh no, you spent money on Pokéballs? That's the worst! If there aren't pokéstops around I'd just not play. So, yes, stop playing. Pokéballs are the worst deal by far. I think they are just there for a rare occasion when a great pok´mon shows up in the wild and you happen to be very low.

@rjejr Haven't confirmed yet, but my wife and I can see the Starbucks gym but my two kids can't. It simply doesn't show in their games. That's one way to limit young loiterers. lol.

@aaronsullivan Wait, what how? Did you not update their versions or something? That would be pretty crazy if they found some way to age block it using parent controls or something like that.

Even if my kids were still playing I'm pretty sure they'd be stopping for the winter. Its pretty cold out when I have to drive them 1 block to the bus stop, like I'll probably be doing tomorrow. I hope they tested the Switch for wind chill. brrr

@rjejr Versions are the same (triple checked). Not so hard to limit some things for accounts with younger ages attached.

We drive to places from time to time.

Yes, super cold and I was swerving a bit today in some north/south spans where the fields were letting blizzard like patches blow across the roads. Not real fun!

@aaronsullivan I hope you aren't risking your life driving around in this winter weather looking for Pikachu w/ Santa hats and you are just talking about normal necessary adult stuff. My car got blown onto the edge of the shoulder coming home from dinner. Not fun. That may sound worse than it was, it was just about a foot to the left, I kept driving, nothing serious, but startling.

That's still pretty weird to me about your kids accounts affecting whats in the game. That's some crazy censorship stuff right there. Good censorship I suppose as children are involved, but what if you wanted your kids to be able to catch Pokemon at Starbucks? Sorry, I have Big Brother paranoia issues.

Are you an Apple family, you get Mario? We're all Android over here. I'll be seeing my Apple family relatives over the holidays, I'll see if anybody has anything can try the demo n. Probably not enough room on my mom's phone, she's constantly having to delete photos just to take more. All 3 of my sisters kids have iPod Touch 6th gen which is supposed to be compatible, I'm sure 1 of them will give me a turn.

@rjejr Yeah, I had some scary incidents as well. We are by the lake so lake effect is real. My kids and wife should have had their school delayed an hour at least and it was white knuckle a few time.

All that said, we'd never brave dangerous conditions for Pokémon! We have some regular slow routes we take to places and we pull over or slow way down if there is no immediate traffic. Safe except for parking with hazard lights on in some locations to get close to a gym that can be inconvenient for other drivers (sorry folks!)

As for Mario, we are an "Apple family" and we are playing Mario. Just don't judge it much until you can play with other people in your friends list. The competition is a big part of the fun. We haven't bought in yet... hoping for iTunes gift cards for Xmas.

@aaronsullivan "hoping for iTunes gift cards for Xmas."

I think I saw a 3 pack of $10 iTunes gift cars at Target that said "Aaron Sullivan" on it.

I'm all for SMR, I've thought the price was right from the beginning. I think at $10 it's a bargain compared to AC:aF which REQUIRED $15 amiibo to play and still cost $40 or so - that really should have been a FREE download - and Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash w/ it's 1 arena and NO MOTION CONTROLS for a tennis game on Wii U, so it was basically a tech demo, and that game still cost $60 in the US. Compared to those 2, I think SMR is practically a steal at $10.

Now those might be 2 really bad examples of Ntinedo games, but what else have they really given us on the Wii U? $10 for SMR seems great to me. It would AT LEAST be that on 3DS, maybe even $29.9 or $39.9 from what I've seen on Youtube. There's a guy called DanTDM who does a lot of Minecraft stuff who I really like b/c he's very happy and never curses. Not that I watch him but I'm glad when my kids do, most YT guys curse, a lot.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbhQcrXvmJk

Anyway we'd have it by now if it would work on any of our 4 Android smartphones, I have my doubts, all $100 and under.

But my poor Wii U. I finished Bayonetta 2 last night - great fun game, not for the kids - and now it's RIP Wii U. My kids are still playing Lego Dimensions, I admittedly may dabble on occasion, we'll see, but PS4 in 8 days. Uncharted 4, Ratchet & Clank, FF15, Dragon Quest Heroes, Skylanders Imaginators. I'm actually taking this week of from gaming in anticipation of Christmas morning. But it's a very Sony Christmas. My kid will get his NES Mini, and he'll be ECSTATIC b/c he knows of the stock woes, but the Sony wave is real. Best chance Switch has is holiday 2017, and only if my kids need it for Pokemon Stars, Eclipse, whatever. But I'm waiting on Switch Home for the screen-free version that's $50 cheaper. May take years, but it will come. God of War, Horizon Zero Dawn, Last of Us 2, Ni No Kuni 2, DQ11, Dreams. Even if Switch gets a game or 2 I MUST play, I wont have time. And if Zelda gets booted from Wii U - I'm still 50-50 honestly - I'll be so mad at Nintendo Switch may never happen.

Enjoy SMR and Nintendo's "3rd party" Christmas.

@rjejr I'd be right there with you on PS4 I think if my kids were a bit older. I just look at the lineup and there is so little we'd play together. We still have some Wii U games left to finish ourselves (and a new to them Wii U game! Paper Mario), so it will last us until Switch just fine. Also, a 2nd 3DS is going to appear under the tree for Pokemon Sun and Moon. So we are having a very different Holiday. Except the NES mini.

(I may try to restore our PS3, my son is still sad it died and we never did play Ni No Kuni)

Do me a favor and have your kid that's excited about it look up the original printed manuals for the games. They were more part of the games back then and give you plenty of information about the game to help you get started. The games alone are brutal without some prep and as you may know, people actually did read the manuals back then (even though they are full of spoilers. ) Here's the link: https://www.nintendo.co.jp/clv/manuals/en/index.html

@aaronsullivan Wow, thanks alot for that link, I'm sure he'll read every word, he's very big on reading stuff that like.

I hear you on the PS4 being for older kids. It really is more for me, though the game crazy 11 year old will play it more w/ Dragonball Xenoverse 2 and Skylanders. The 14 year old is really looking forward to Horizon Zero Dawn, which is kind of weird for him to be interested in anything. Not sure if it's day 1 or not, but I'm just happy he's into something. He does like Zelda U more and likes the Zelda graphics better, but he isn't holding his breath (unintended pun) for March either. Guess well see in about 3 weeks.

I'm pretty much of off NL until then as far as posting goes. I almost responded to you in that Shield article but I'm just to busy to reply to 8 people I don't know, and I always try to reply. And I realized I'm on here for the games, and there just aren't any. Yooka-Laylee seriously broke me, I really didn't see that coming, I laid into Thanos, and I realized this place is toxic and I need to cool it. So I'm hoping after the holidays there are games again to get a little more positive vibe. Though if its all just ports, well I already have everything I want on Wii U. And if Zelda U gets canceled, well we can always become snail-mail pen-pals or something.