On Thursday, hundreds of Pokémon Go players gathered in New York's Times Square to battle a giant Mewtwo — a nod to the game's original trailer published over a decade ago. The event marked the 10th anniversary of a mobile phenomenon that has been downloaded more than a billion times and still sees millions logging on daily.
Michael Steranka, vice president of product at the game's publisher Scopely, says the Pokémon Go experience has always been about bringing people together. “We often receive wedding invites from players who met through Pokémon Go… because it’s been such an integral part of their relationship,” he adds.
“Pokémon Go marks 10th anniversary with Times Square event as players reveal how the game brought them together.”
Released in 2016, Pokémon Go quickly became one of the biggest mobile game launches in history. Using GPS and augmented reality, it overlays digital creatures onto a live view of the real world through a smartphone’s camera, making it appear as though they’re standing in front of the player. The technology sparked a craze, with people flocking to parks, waterfronts and shopping malls in the hope of catching Pokémon.
“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,” says Matthew Reynolds, editor of Pokémon news website One More Catch.
The game’s popularity has endured. It 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. Scopely estimates players have explored over 100 billion kilometres while playing Pokémon Go — roughly 334 round trips between the Earth and the Sun.
UK content creator j0beats runs one of Twitch’s biggest channels dedicated to the game and regularly travels to events like the one in New York to meet fellow players. “People always think it’s crazy that you travel all over just to catch some pixels,” she laughs.
