Search for:
Pokémon Go Hosting Major 10th Anniversary Broadcast This Week
Gaming

Pokémon Go Hosting Major 10th Anniversary Broadcast This Week

By

Pokémon Go will hold a very special 10th anniversary broadcast this Thursday, July 9 — with details on what it will contain currently top secret.

It’s now been a decade since Pokémon Go first launched and became a global phenomenon. Remember that first trailer where players were shown catching, trading and then battling a giant Mewtwo in Times Square? Well, 10 years on, millions of players still log on every day: catching, trading and battling with the app’s ever-expanding menagerie that now stretches to almost 1,000 creatures.

Exactly what the next decade has in store for Pokémon Go remains to be seen — but perhaps this unique broadcast may offer some answers.

“Trainers from around the world including those who were among the first to experience the game in 2016, long-time players who have been catching Pokémon for the past decade and those who are just beginning their adventure, are invited to tune in and celebrate together,” developer Niantic teased of its mysterious stream — the first of its kind for the game.

“Additional details on where to watch and when to tune in will be shared via Pokémon Go social channels on July 9. Throughout the day, several notable content creators will also be going live to join in on the festivities.”

It’s an interesting time for Pokémon Go, which will wrap up its big annual summer event season this weekend already with Go Fest Global. But the summer is still early — perhaps we’ll hear about more surprises coming in the near future?

The Best Pokémon Spin-off GamesWhen a franchise reaches the hulking size of Pokémon, it finds its way into everything. The Pokémon Company’s games have touched almost every genre, we’ve seen its characters rendered in almost every art style, and we’ve seen them battle a pantheon of gods and monsters. A universe of Pokémon games exists outside of the core series, and this month we’re treated to a new major spin-off from the franchise in Pokémon Pokopia.<br><br> By moving away from the classic turn-based RPG formula, spin-off games allow us to see different shades of the Pokemon universe and experience it in a new light. While the core Pokémon games can be boiled down to the competitive side of things, they’re also about building an emotional attachment to your team, immersing yourself in this strange, utopic universe and, most importantly, being enchanted by the lore of the world and interacting with myths and legends. The best spin-offs focus on those other aspects and enhance that sense of wonder.<br><br> With Pokopia having just landed, this is the perfect time to celebrate all the different ways the pocket monsters have deviated from their usual turn-based RPG roots, and rank the top 10 Pokémon spin-off games.

It’s also an interesting time for the Pokémon franchise as a whole, which also celebrates a big anniversary this year. While the series is 30 years old, though, it doesn’t have a new console game before Christmas with which to celebrate — remember, of course, that Pokémon Winds and Pokémon Waves will launch sometime in 2027. Perhaps Pokémon Go could be used as a focus for fans once more?

All may be revealed later this week — tune in right here on IGN for live coverage as everything unfolds.

Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social