Since its release earlier this month, Pokémon GO has been leading the App Store charts. This has, however, prompted the surge of secondary markets selling accounts for the new virtual reality game.
Users with high-level accounts or those with rare and powerful Pokémons are selling to other players through Facebook, Craigslist, and other platforms, according to Wired. There are players who are willing to pay a premium for these accounts if only to avoid the amount of walking and grinding required.
The report also noted that aside from the sale of accounts, other Pokémon GO-related "cottage industries" also exist. For instance, there are Rideshare drivers who drive players around to catch monsters and to check in at Poke Stops. There are also businesses that are using Lures for rates as low as $1.19 per hour just to attract customers and thus boost their sales. There is also an online marketplace that solicits Pokémon GO experts to guide newbies.
The magazine pointed out that while the listings for Pokémon GO accounts on sites like Facebook and Craigslist have been taken down, especially since game developers send takedown notices for violation of the terms of service, there are still marketplaces catering to game-related transactions like these.
According to the report, the sale of accounts has been a part of PC and mobile gaming for a long time. There are players who want to enjoy competing in games at the highest levels but would want to skip the grunt work of having to level up, so they instead pay up for this. It even cited games like "World of Warcraft" and "Clash of Clans" as examples of other games that are hot on the secondary market.
Fortune noted that in the games-account marketplace PlayerUP, the listings range from $25 Level 10 account with a Pikachu to a $400 Level 21 Pokémon GO account with a Dragonite.
PlayerUP Chief Executive Office Eric Schweitzer said that the market for Pokémon GO accounts is just warming up, as there are still a few players who would want to spend money for an established account when a mobile game has just started out. However, this market could build up and balloon fast after users have already explored the game and decide they like it.
Watch the first episode of Pokémon GO in this video: