Leaked employee memos suggest that international coffee shop chain Starbucks will be hosting a Pokémon Go event starting on December 8. The promotion will apparently center around a new variation on the company’s Frappuccino blended beverage, according to a report from The Next Web.
Developer Niantic, Inc. will apparently turn the majority of company-operated Starbucks locations in the United States into Pokéstops or Gyms ahead of the event. When players visit these locations in-game, they’ll be presented with the opportunity to “unlock” the themed drink — but all customers will have access to the product.
The bigger draw for players is the fact that the promotion is rumored to introduce a brand new Pokémon to the game. Alongside the drink, visiting a Starbucks location and swiping its marker will apparently secure access to the new creature, although there are few details about how this process will work.
It’s easy to see how a desirable new Pokémon would be the obvious reward for a promotion like this. The initial Pokémon Go craze may have passed, but plenty of players would likely return to the game for curiosity’s sake if one of the often-discussed legendary birds was made available in this way.
Fortunately, we won’t have to wait too long to find out what rewards are available as part of the Pokémon Go-Starbucks cross-promotion. If the event is indeed legitimate, it’s scheduled to get underway this Thursday morning, and will continue as long as supplies of the new Frappuccino mix last.
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