After years of inaction, Pokémon GO finally stepped in to untangle itself from the infamous Epstein’s island .
Players of the augmented reality mobile game came across a PokéStop , a critical in-game location, on Little Saint James , the Caribbean island formerly owned by Jeffrey Epstein .
Details were unearthed that hint that people have been catching Pokémon on Epstein’s island for around five years . It was only taken down last week , leaving many to wonder why it took so long for the location to be removed.
- Pokémon GO removed an in-game stop from Epstein’s island.
- The PokéStop allowed users to catch Pokémon on the island for nearly five years.
- Gamers called out Niantic for not taking any action sooner.
Some speculated that the stop was added by one of the individuals who attended the island as Epstein’s guest. “I would find it difficult to believe no one ever logged in from there,” one user said.
An influx of spoofers made Pokémon GO remove Epstein’s island stop
Mobile game players catching Pokémon on controversial island location led to company removing the game content.
After the recent revelations surrounding the Epstein files, many players “spoofed” or virtually visited the island once owned by the deceased financier and convicted offender.
Spoofing allows Pokémon GO players to fake their GPS location and catch rare Pokémons at places they are not physically present at. It is an illegal move and users have faced temporary bans and permanent account suspensions because of it.
Mobile game players holding smartphone with Pokémon Go app open, highlighting controversy around in-game locations.
The stop on Epstein’s island was first noticed by players around a year ago.
Over the past weekend, many of them noticed a “Sundial” PokéStop, an essential point of interest in the virtual world, located on the island. The discovery went viral and drew severe fire from the gaming community.
Aerial view of Epstein Island showing the estate and surrounding ocean seen in mobile game players catching Pokémon controversy.
“Why would anyone even spoof there? Who cares? This man was a monster, and so were the people associated with him after they found out what he was,” one commenter wrote.
However, the PokéStop soon disappeared after the backlash.
Man in a dark pullover sitting outdoors, related to mobile game players catching Pokémon on Epstein Island controversy.
On Monday, February 9, Gaming Bible reported that they reached out to Niantic, the game’s developer , for a comment on the matter. They confirmed that they have removed the PokéStop from the game.
Niantic was acquired by Scopely in May 2025 in a massive buyoff announced only 11 weeks prior. The $3.5 billion deal brought several of Niantic’s AR games, including Pokémon GO, under Scopely’s control.
One user figured out how Epstein’s island may have been added
No trespassing sign on rocky terrain at Epstein Island, related to mobile game players catching Pokémon there.
A Pokémon GO player did some digging and came up with details that showed the “Sundial” Pokéstop was submitted as a point of interest through Ingress around 2020 or 2021.
The player also discovered that the image of the sundial used for the stop was taken from drone footage of the island posted on YouTube in July 2019.
Ingress is another augmented reality mobile game developed by Niantic which served as a predecessor to Pokémon GO.
It was a proof of concept for other augmented reality games based on Google Maps. Its data was used to create the locations PokéStops and Gyms within Pokémon GO.
Large sundial on a coastal hill with a nearby road and ocean view linked to mobile game players catching Pokémon on Epstein Island.
“I would bet someone from the staff was an Ingress player, since originally most Pokéstops were just imported from Ingress,” one user speculated.
Jeffrey Epstein was a fan of Pokémon GO, as per the recently disclosed emails
Mobile game players catching Pokémon on Epstein Island leading to company removing the game from platforms
The controversial personality was no stranger to the AR game that took the world by storm in 2016.
In one of the 3.5 million documents revealed as part of the Epstein files by the US Department of Justice on January 30, Epstein spoke with self-proclaimed alternative medicine expert Deepak Chopra about Pokémon GO.
Person holding smartphone showing mobile game players catching Pokémon on a map, referencing Epstein Island controversy.
“If you look at the new Pokémon GO app, the first of many augmented reality games, I think an app for you that allows people to look at their phone and detect an aura about each other, would k**ll the market,” said Epstein, suggesting the idea of a similar AR app.
Email discussing Pokemon Go augmented reality game and immersive VR technology with Oculus and Google Cardboard.
In another email to Sh. Fahad Bin Hamad, the half-brother of the Emir of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Epstein wrote, “Check out pokemon go if you have not already the first of augmented games.”
That wasn’t Epstein’s only connection with the gaming industry .
Man wearing a maroon Harvard hoodie, appearing thoughtful in an indoor setting related to mobile game players and Pokémon controversy.
Bobby Kotick, the former CEO of Activision Blizzard who helmed blockbuster releases like Call of Duty and World of Warcraft, was allegedly in Epstein’s address book.
A week ago, eagled-eyed netizens floated an even more outlandish theory.
As Bored Panda previously reported , a 2014 YouTube receipt in the Epstein files revealed his Fortnite, a popular video game among children, user name to be “littlestjeff1” and allegedly, the account is still active on the platform in 2026.
Pirat Nation, an X account that reports on tech and gaming news, claimed that the username matches with a profile when searched on Fortnite Tracker, a third-party statistics site.
“What are they covering up?” Internet users share their thoughts on the Epstein’s island PokéStop.
Tweet from user cedarzekaya asking what type of Pokémon spawned at a controversial location involving mobile game players.
Tweet discussing mobile game players catching Pokémon on Epstein Island, suggesting investigation of involved accounts.
Tweet from user Sharkmunky expressing frustration about a Pokémon Go pokestop removal related to the mobile game players.
Tweet expressing frustration over the removal of a pokestop related to mobile game players catching Pokémon on Epstein Island.
Screenshot of a tweet responding to controversy involving mobile game players catching Pokémon on Epstein Island.
Tweet about mobile game players catching Pokémon on Epstein Island, prompting company to remove the game.
Tweet about mobile game players catching Pokémon on Epstein Island questioning how it was allowed as a family-friendly stop.
Twitter reply discussing mobile game players catching Pokémon on Epstein Island and related government inaction.
Tweet from user THE BILLDOZER asking what is being covered up in a discussion about mobile game players catching Pokémon.
Screenshot of a social media reply expressing disbelief about mobile game players catching Pokémon on Epstein Island.
Tweet by user B0ssguy replying to @GoNintendoTweet with comment about a gym, related to mobile game players catching Pokémon on Epstein Island.
Tweet from user Bandito commenting on mobile game players catching Pokémon on Epstein Island causing the company to remove it.
Screenshot of a Twitter reply asking why mobile game players were catching Pokémon on Epstein Island.
Screenshot of a Twitter reply discussing user-created PokéStops and game content removal related to mobile game players.
Tweet by Bigjim questioning if a mobile game involving Pokémon catching on Epstein Island still exists.
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