Pokémon Go may be taking over the world, but with enough traffic for its Pokémon-themed dating service to temporarily break its website, Chicago startup Project Fixup isn’t doing too shabby either.
With Pokémon Go sending teenagers and nostalgic grownups alike on a quest to catch imaginary monsters, local businesses are taking note, using in-game items to attract players to their establishments. But the most clever co-option of the concept so far comes from Techstars Chicago alum Project Fixup.
With its PokéDates dating service, the Chicago startup augments Pokémon Go players’ realities with real world dates.
“As soon as Pokémon Go launched, we knew it was a perfect fit for our users, Pokémon Go enthusiasts and new members alike,” said co-founder and CEO Sarah Press in a statement.
On Wednesday afternoon, mere hours after the service went live, Chief Fixup Officer Daniel Korenevsky told the Tribune the service had received 2,100 new signups. Since then the growth in signups has been “exponential,” Korenevsky said in an email, aided in part by a slew of national and international press.
The company is currently considering a number of countries for international expansion.
Korenevsky declined to share updated signup numbers, but he did say the surge in traffic caused the company’s website to break down temporarily, leaving its engineers working late into the night to bring it back online.
The idea behind PokéDates isn’t really all that Farfetch’d. Upon signing up for the service, users are asked to provide information about themselves and what they look for in a date, as well as their favorite times for catching Pokémon. Based on that information, the company’s matchmakers will send you and another player on a PokéDate at a designated time and location.
After confirming the time and place, users are set to go catch ‘em all together.
“Our service is like your best friend fixing you up with someone they think you’ll like,” said Korenevsky in a statement. “Except we know more people than they do, listen to what you’re looking for without injecting our own opinions and happen to know all the best bars, coffee shops and in this case PokéStops.”
PokéDates normally cost $20 a pop, though free ones can be earned by referring friends to the service (first time users also get a free date with the promo code “POKEDATES2016”).
Images via Project Fixup.
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