Businesses in downtown Windsor are excited at the potential foot traffic boost Pokemon GO could bring.
"I think it's a great concept to bring to shops throughout Windsor and downtown," says Larry Horwitz, chair of the Downtown Windsor Business Improvement Association.
He feels the augmented reality game is something local businesses can take advantage of.
"It could involve restaurants, it could involve retails shops, it could involve nightclubs — it could really involve just about anything," says Horwitz. "Each business just has to be creative in how it implements it."
The game sees players using an app on their phone to search for Pokemon in real world settings: parks, backyards, shops — requiring players to walk to the different locations to play the game.
Horwitz says downtown Windsor has had some success already in using GPS-based games to attract people to the city core.
"This is not something brand new, we've been geo-caching for years all through Windsor and Essex County," says Horwitz. "Having a stop for Pokemon in different locations is just a new of generating traffic and economic benefit for the merchants."
Pokemon GO hasn't officially been released in Canada, but players have found a way to play the game and it has sky-rocketed in popularity across the country.
The Better Business Bureau has also warning players there are risks associated with the new game.