China’s Tech Giants are Borrowing from Pokémon Go to Upgrade a New Year’s Tradition of Cash Giving
By Lauren Stacy • December 27, 2016
Alipay—China’s most popular mobile payment app—has created a location-based, augmented-reality game similar to Pokémon Go. The new feature prompts players to explore the city for virtual red packets hidden by other users that contain actual money redeemable via the app. The game draws inspiration from both Pokémon Go and the Chinese New Year tradition of exchanging red envelopes filled with cash.