‘Pokémon Go’ Exec Promises 1,000-Person Times Square Mewtwo Event Is Just the Start of 10th Anniversary: ‘My Personal Goal Is to Create Core Memories’ for All Players

Jul 10, 2026 4:13pm PT ‘Pokémon Go’ Exec Promises 1,000-Person Times Square Mewtwo Event Is Just the Start of 10th Anniversary: ‘My Personal Goal Is to Create Core Memories’ for All Players

By Jennifer Maas

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Jennifer Maas

TV Business Writer

@jmaasaronson

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AP Photo/Carla Torres

Ten years ago, “Pokémon Go” vice president of product Michael Steranka was crying in the shower because the first large-scale event for the hit mobile game was, in his own opinion, a disaster.

The Niantic-developed game kept crashing, too many people were trying to play at once and the servers couldn’t handle the game’s immense popularity.

But today, Steranka is all tired smiles after pulling off a 1,000-person “raid” event in New York City’s Times Square Thursday night to celebrate the first decade of the now-Scopely-owned “Pokémon Go.”

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