Following a series of Pokémon GO advertisements that recently appeared in London, a number of sponsored PokéStops have also appeared in New York City and London.
As discovered in the 0.63.1 data mine, the new PokéStops are sponsored by NIA_OPS, which stands for Niantic Operatives. This marks the first time Niantic has created their own sponsored PokéStops.
The new sponsored stops seem to be at all locations where the Pokemon GO ads are. This includes those at underground stations and those on bus stops around London.
The new sponsored Stops feature four iconic Pokémon species:
The table below shows difference in the advertisement used in the two cities:
| New York City | London |
|---|---|
 |
 |
| The Big Apple, home to the best berry finders in the world | World leaders in financial services, the arts and Poké Ball throwing. |
It’s not yet clear why London and NYC were chosen for the advertisements and new PokéStops. At this point, we know that no other major city around the world has received a similar treatment.
Some players already suggested that Niantic is advertising Pokémon GO in cities like London and NYC in order to prepare for a series of summer events. No confirmation or explanation was given by Niantic, but we expect to hear more about this soon.