Hundreds of Pokémon Go players gathered in New York’s Times Square on Thursday to battle a giant Mewtwo, a direct reference to the game’s original trailer released more than a decade ago. The event marked the 10th anniversary of the mobile game that uses GPS and augmented reality to let players find and catch virtual monsters in real-world locations.
Pokémon Go has been downloaded more than a billion times across iOS and Android devices, with millions still logging on each day. Michael Steranka, vice president of product at the game’s publisher Scopely, credits the enduring appeal to 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.”
“Pokémon Go marks 10 years with a billion downloads, millions daily players, and a community that still gathers to catch virtual monsters.”
When it launched in 2016, Pokémon Go quickly became one of the biggest mobile game launches in history. The technology 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. It sparked a craze that saw 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,” said 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, who runs one of Twitch’s biggest channels dedicated to the game, 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. The community’s enthusiasm suggests that, a decade on, the hunt is far from over.
