After a decade, Pokémon Go has finally delivered on its original promise

When Niantic went down the first Pokemon Go Tractor In 2015, it was difficult to understand how a group of players could work together to catch a Pokémon like Mewtwo. But this week at the game’s 10th anniversary event in New York City, Pokemon Go Show the world how it’s done. Nearly 2000 players (many of them Pokemon Go Influencers) packed Times Square on Thursday evening for a private battle. It was nice to see Times Square go dark briefly before the billboards started to light up and reveal Mewtwo escaped Mega Evolving, and it was even wilder to see people living out the fantasy depicted in the game’s first trailer.

Although most people have never played a game like this on mobile Pokemon Go When the game debuted in 2016, the trailer made the general idea easy enough to understand. Players were supposed to go out into the world, and the game would tell them where they might be able to find wild beasts that could be captured if they could get to a certain area fast enough. The trailer made the gameplay look like a cold, isolated experience, but it also included wild shots of crowds teaming up to take down powerful Pokémon. Raids had not been introduced to the game at that point, but it was clear that Niantic had plans to make things like hunting legends feel special.

In a press release, Scobley – who It acquired Niantic’s gaming business last year – Vice President of Product Michael Steranka explained that the recent anniversary event was the company’s way of living up to that first trailer. “When we first dreamed of what Pokémon GO would become a decade ago, hosting over a thousand people in a single local raid battle was just a pipe dream,” Steranka wrote. “Seeing this vision become a reality in Times Square was the perfect way to celebrate 10 years of playing with our community.”

This recent personal event was far from that First game in 2017when thousands of players descended on Chicago to find that their poké plans had been thwarted by network overload and software issues. For which Niantic eventually took credit. Steranka joined Niantic that same year to help coordinate the disastrous Chicago event, and during a press conference this week, he said that — at the time — he believed he “should have been fired” because of the way things turned out.

“I also quickly discovered from this experience that Pokemon Go “The team isn’t pointing fingers,” Steranka said. “Instead of trying to find someone to blame, everyone got together and set up an offsite in Seattle to figure out what went wrong and how to fix things.”

Doubling down and expanding our community-focused in-person events has been key Pokemon GoTremendous growth over the years. According to ScopleyIt has been downloaded by more than 800 million people Pokemon Go Since the game was first launched, the company has earned $1 billion in revenue He goes In 2025 alone. For years, Niantic He struggled to replicate that kind of success With other IP-focused AR games, e.g Harry Potter: Wizards Unite and Catan: Explorers of the World. Pokemon GoThe game’s continued popularity is somewhat surprising considering that the core gameplay hasn’t changed much. But Scopely Games president Ed Wu says those qualities are the same Pokemon GoIts staying power lies in the way the company has focused more on growing player communities.

“What started as an invitation to explore the world around you has become something that brings players together across cities, countries, and cultures, from neighborhood encounters to celebrations that bring hundreds of thousands of people together,” Wu said in a press release. “As we look forward, our commitment remains unchanged: to continue evolving the game in ways that transform everyday spaces into opportunities for discovery and connection.”

Scooply sees Pokemon Go As a game forever due to the ever-expanding list of monsters in the series and the fact that there will always be people – especially younger ones – who have never played before. With every new major line Pokemon The launch of the game, the arrival of a new generation of players. When I asked Wu how his team plans to improve Pokemon Go In the future, he did not go into details. But he said Scobley is looking to capitalize on the ways people of different ages (such as children and their parents) interact with each other. Pokemon And how gyms can be used to strengthen communities.

Millions of people will likely come out on Saturday and Sunday for the 2026 Pokémon Go Global Festival which will see the map light up with more Mewtwo encounters and challenges that require players to work together. It will be the most ambitious event in the game yet, but with… Collection of the new main line Pokemon Titles decrease next year, Pokemon Go There will still be room for growth.