Pokémon Go players have collectively walked more than 100 billion kilometres in the decade since the game launched – roughly 334 round trips between Earth and the Sun, according to its publisher Scopely.
The mobile app, which uses GPS and augmented reality to let players catch virtual monsters in real-world locations, celebrated its 10th anniversary on Thursday. Hundreds of fans gathered in New York’s Times Square to battle a giant Mewtwo, a reference to the original trailer published over a decade ago.
“Pokémon Go players have walked 100 billion km in 10 years as millions still play daily”
Michael Steranka, vice president of product at Scopely, said the game’s enduring appeal has always been about community. “Pokémon Go will always start with community – we think we’re only scratching the surface here,” he said. “We often receive wedding invites from players who met through Pokémon Go… because it’s been such an integral part of their relationship.”
Launched in 2016, Pokémon Go quickly became one of the biggest mobile game launches in history. It has been downloaded more than a billion times across iOS and Android, with millions still logging on each day. The technology overlays digital creatures onto a live view of the real world through a smartphone camera, making them appear to stand in front of the player.
“By allowing you to take your mobile phone out into the world to discover virtual creatures, Pokémon Go helped realise the millennial dream of becoming a Pokémon Trainer,” said Matthew Reynolds, editor of Pokémon news website One More Catch.
The game has hosted major live events in more than 60 countries, averaging more than 400,000 attendees a year since the first Go Fest in 2017. One of its biggest fans is UK content creator j0beats, who runs a dedicated Twitch channel and regularly travels to events like the one in New York. “People always think it’s crazy that you travel all over just to catch some pixels,” she laughed.
For Scopely, the decade milestone is just the start. “We think we’re only scratching the surface here,” Steranka said.