Pokemon Go Testing PokeStop Nominations

Pokemon Go players will be able to request additional PokeStops close to their home or other locations soon.

Niantic announced that they would be testing PokeStop nominations in Brazil and South Korea starting today. Level 40 players in those countries will be able to nominate locations for new PokeStops by submitting photos and descriptions of the locations directly to the game.

Those locations will then be reviewed by the Operation Portal Recon team created over in Ingress and then integrated into the game if approved.

Players will only have a limited number of locations they can submit per day and there's only certain types of locations that can be nominated. Players are encouraged to submit locations that mark one of the following criteria:

• A location with a cool story, a place in history or educational value
• An interesting piece of art or unique architecture (Statues, paintings, mosaics, light installations, etc.)
• A hidden gem or hyper-local spot
• Public parks
• Public libraries
• Public places of worship
• Major transit stations hubs (like Grand Central Station)

Locations that lack pedestrian access, are located on private property, seasonal displays, or "adult-oriented" stores like liquor stores or guns stores are all disqualified from becoming PokeStops. Certain natural landmarks are also disqualified, although nearby man-made objects like plaques or informational signs are still encouraged.

The new submissions marks the first time that Pokemon Go players can directly submit PokeStop locations, and opens up a world of possibilities for players. One of the biggest complaints over the last two years is that Pokemon Go players in certain areas (especially rural areas) don't have enough PokeStops and gyms, which limit certain players' abilities to progress in the game.

While submissions are limited to just Level 40 players in two country, Pokemon Go noted that the program could expand to more players and more countries in the future. Ingress, Niantic's other game, has a similar feature that was originally limited to high level players, but gradually expanded to include lower level players.

So are you excited by the possibility that Pokemon Go could soon let players add PokeStops in their neighborhood? Let us know in the comment section below!