Pokemon Go Players Discover Digital Landmark on Jeffrey Epstein's Private Island
Players of the popular augmented reality mobile game Pokemon Go were recently taken aback when they discovered a digital landmark appearing in one of the world's most infamous locations: Little Saint James, the private Caribbean island formerly owned by the late billionaire and convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.
The Controversial Discovery
The virtual landmark, identified as a "Sun Clock" PokéStop within the game, was found on the tiny island that served as Epstein's alleged base of operations for child sex trafficking and other criminal activities. Pokemon Go, developed by software company Niantic, utilizes GPS technology to overlay a virtual reality map onto the real world, allowing players to capture digital creatures and collect items at designated locations called PokéStops.
These PokéStops typically appear at public locations such as parks, libraries, places of worship, university campuses, and other accessible areas where players can safely gather. The discovery of a PokéStop on Epstein's private island immediately raised questions about how such a location could be approved within the game's system.
Terms of Service Violations
According to reports from Gaming Bible, some Pokemon Go players had been violating Niantic's terms of service by spoofing their location to access the PokéStop situated on the island's outdoor sundial. The gaming website clarified that the PokéStop was likely submitted by a rogue player who thought it would "be funny to submit Epstein Island as an official PokéStop," rather than by Epstein himself or anyone associated with the island.
This submission appeared to directly violate Niantic's guidelines, which require PokéStop locations to have "safe pedestrian access"—a condition clearly not met by a private island with such a notorious history. Following the discovery and subsequent reporting, Niantic confirmed that they had removed the Epstein Island PokéStop from the game entirely.
Epstein's Connection to Pokemon Go
Interestingly, recently released emails reveal that Jeffrey Epstein was quite aware of Pokemon Go and its potential. According to Mediaite, soon after the game launched in the United States in July 2016, Epstein sent an email to Sheikh Fahad Bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the second son of the former Emir of Qatar, telling him to "check out pokemon go if you have not already the first of augmented games."
In another email exchange included in the released files, Epstein appears to have messaged Deepak Chopra about "fundamental reality" before directing him to "[look] at the new pokemon go [app]," which he described as "the first of many augmented reality [games]." Epstein suggested that Chopra could develop an app that "allows people to [look] at their phone and detect an aura about each other," claiming such an app "would kill [the] market." He encouraged Chopra to "look up [the] app and imagine," adding "wow" for emphasis.
The Aftermath and Implications
The incident highlights the ongoing challenges faced by augmented reality game developers in moderating user-submitted content and ensuring that virtual landmarks don't appear in inappropriate or sensitive locations. While Pokemon Go has generally been praised for encouraging physical activity and exploration, this episode demonstrates how the game's real-world integration can sometimes intersect with controversial or disturbing aspects of reality.
Niantic's swift removal of the PokéStop from Little Saint James reflects the company's commitment to maintaining appropriate content within their gaming ecosystem, though it also raises questions about how such a submission could have been approved in the first place. The gaming community continues to discuss the ethical boundaries of augmented reality experiences and the responsibility of developers to vet location-based content thoroughly.
