‘Pokemon Go’: All roads lead to Sprint stores for big Mewtwo raid
Sprint stores are expected to be crowded this Friday, Sept. 15, a majority of which are likely to be “Pokemon Go” players. EX Raid Invites were sent out Thursday morning to augmented reality trainers for a chance to participate in the Mewtwo raids.
Seeing that the EX Raid future is technically in the testing stages, the recent announcement should be a gauge to see if system tasked to send out invites is effective. The number of “Pokemon Go” players heading to Sprint stores will likely be an indication before Niantic decides to launch the new feature worldwide, according to Comicbook.com.
The business side of it
For those who have been closely following the hit mobile game, Niantic has had several tie-ups since the game launched. Among the companies who have hosted special “Pokemon Go” events included McDonalds and Starbucks.
As far as Sprint is concerned, they have been backing the game for almost a year now. Their stores are geomarked as gyms or PokeStops and have collaborated in the past with Niantic. Seeing how Pokemon Legendaries are now in focus, the chance to finally capture Mewtwo is expected to lure in the avid AR gamers.
Invites limited to players who have beaten a raid
With most expecting Sprint stores to be cramped with gamers, there is a chance that only a select number of gamers may actually get the invite. With the EX Raids technically in beta, it may not reach players in certain regions.
Other than that, there is also the possibility that invites may be sent out to players who have previously beat a raid. These are two potential scenarios, meaning Sprint stores may not be as crowded with gamers who may only be there for the opportunity.
Aside from the chance to possibly capture Mewtwo, the whole setup is more of a business agenda. It gives Sprint the opportunity to show off some of their gadgets or offer plans to mobile device users. Though the chances of getting customers may not be high, drawing a crowd could net in a new client or two.
The raids will take place on Sept. 15 between 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Folks who have gotten the invite may want to make the necessary preparations considering the Mewtwo raid is a rare chance only the lucky ones will get.
According to Forbes, Mewtwo has slowly made his rounds since first popping out during the Pikachu Outbreak in Yokohama, Japan. The Legendary has reportedly appeared in raids in San Francisco, Bellevue Washington and New York City. Considering that most of these raids have been happening in public places like parks, the event at Sprint stores is something new. The only hitch is that it may be only limited to the lucky ones who got invites.
