Economics
Pokémon Go Brings Real Money to Random Bars and Pizzerias
Brick-and-mortar shops find themselves in the middle of an invisible game craze.
Pokemon Go Madness: New App Sends Nintendo Shares Soaring
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The customers streaming through L’inizio’s Pizza Bar in Queens this weekend needed hot slices, cold beers, and more PokéBalls.
The pizzeria became one of the earliest businesses to deliberately tap into a real-world windfall from Pokémon Go, a wildly popular augmented-reality game released on July 6 by Nintendo Co. Ltd. Part of the game involves capturing virtual Pokémon, visible only when looking at your surroundings through a smartphone, and L’inizio’s has been crawling with them. Players might see a Charmander perched on a barstool or find a Snorlax in a bathroom stall, while non-playing customers just see a bunch of people wandering around with eyes glued to their phones.