Till just lately, Little Saint James–the personal island previously owned by convicted sex criminal and alleged human trafficker Jeffrey Epstein–had a Pokemon Go Pokestop. However following an outcry amongst gamers, the Epstein Island Pokestop has been eliminated by Pokemon Go proprietor Scopely.
Based on Polygon, it is unclear when the Pokestop was added to the island, though Ingress estimates that it was someplace between 2020 and 2021. Epstein died in jail in 2019, and the island is not simply accessible to most of the people. That hasn’t stopped gamers from fooling the sport and letting Pokemon Go just about place them on the island.
Per Kotaku, the variety of digital Pokemon Go visits to Little Saint James dramatically elevated this month as a means to attract consideration to the Pokestop that was initially observed effectively over a yr in the past. The discharge of a brand new spherical of Epstein information seems to have spurred that surge, till Scopely quietly eliminated the Pokestop earlier this week.
There have been various gaming connections within the Epstein information, together with obvious plans by Epstein to buy inventory in Activision Blizzard due to Name of Obligation’s continued success. Epstein and former Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick had a number of e mail exchanges within the information, together with an invite for Kotick to go to the island.
Different gaming luminaries talked about or referred to within the Epstein information embody Construct A Rocket Boy studio founder Leslie Benzies and Microsoft founder Invoice Gates. Their presence within the information is not proof of any prison exercise, and Benzies and Gates have each vehemently denied any connection to Epstein in any respect. Benzies added that he never met Epstein.