Pokémon Go marked its 10th anniversary with a significant livestream event, culminating in a large-scale Mewtwo raid battle in New York's Times Square. The event, hosted by developer Scopely Explore (formerly Niantic), featured over 1,000 players participating in a real-time battle against Mega Mewtwo Y, which evolved and appeared across Times Square's digital billboards.
Attendees, including invited Community Ambassadors and prominent streamers, witnessed the Times Square screens revert to displaying the game's original 2016 trailer before the Mewtwo encounter. Players who defeated the raid boss were given the opportunity to catch Mewtwo, with some reporting the capture of a guaranteed perfect IV "hundo" version using a Master Ball. The raid encounter was repeated, allowing for a second catch.
The celebration also included a pop-up location in Times Square where in-game spawns and raids were rotating through the game's history, starting with 2017's Lugia raids and progressing through 2018's Groudon raids. A special Professor Willow Pikachu plush toy, which will also be available as an in-game event Pokémon, was confirmed for future release via the Pokémon Center store.
Looking ahead, Michael Steranka, veteran team leader at Scopely Explore, outlined three primary focuses for Pokémon Go's next decade at a press conference. These areas include enhancing community play centered around Gyms, providing more opportunities for players to create shared "core memories," and ensuring the game supports multi-generational play.
While specific details regarding these future focuses remain vague, the potential for Gym mechanics to be reworked was highlighted as a point of interest for long-time players. The anniversary event also touched upon Unity Raids, a new type of in-person raid experience requiring coordinated group participation, previously seen at this year's Go Fests.