McDonald's might be Pokémon Go's first sponsor

Shona Ghosh

July 14, 2016

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1 minute

McDonald's might be Pokémon Go's first sponsor - but not in the UK

Pokémon Go has promised sponsored locations in future, and it appears McDonald's may be the first brand to sign up - at least in the US.

Pokemon Go: AR game puts characters into the real environment

A developer reverse-engineering Pokémon Go found that a sponsorship system appears to have been built into the game's code from the off.

He , while another tech detective claims to have discovered the brand's logo in the code.

If the fast-food chain has agreed a sponsorship deal with Pokémon Go maker Niantic, then it's likely only limited to certain markets, most likely the US.

Although the game has just arrived in the UK, a UK spokeswoman for McDonald's told ��pk10 that the brand "will not be entering any partnership with Pokémon Go" for the time being.

Earlier this week, Niantic's chief executive John Hanke confirmed that the game will feature sponsored locations at some point. An earlier iteration of the game, Ingress, has featured sponsored locations, with Niantic partnering with mostly US brands, including Jamba Juice, ZipCar, Duane Reade and Verizon.

Stay tuned for ��pk10's explainer on Pokémon Go

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Marketing