Pokemon Go’s 10th anniversary celebration in New York City’s Times Square has sparked backlash after invited attendees received an exclusive guaranteed 100% IV Mewtwo, leaving many longtime players feeling excluded.
The event recreated the iconic scene from Pokemon Go’s original reveal trailer, with nearly 2,000 invited Trainers battling Mega Mewtwo Y together in one of the largest in-person raids in the game’s history.
Exclusive rewards overshadow Times Square celebration
Invitations to the event were distributed through Pokemon Go Community Ambassadors across New York City’s five boroughs, with attendance limited to around 2,000 players to avoid overcrowding in Times Square.
After a surprise in-game notification, attendees gathered for a live event before taking part in the massive raid battle.
While many praised the recreation of the original trailer, criticism quickly emerged after attendees shared that the event rewarded players with an exclusive Times Square background Mewtwo guaranteed to have perfect IVs.
Numerous posts on social media have cropped up since the event’s conclusion, with one on Reddit describing the event as “the antithesis of what made Pokemon GO a phenomenon back in 2016.”
The NYC event is the antithesis of what made Pokemon GO a phenomenon back in 2016
byu/Christophisis inpokemongo
Responses called the event’s inclusion of a guaranteed ‘hundo’ (perfect stats) Mewtwo “a slap in the face” to players who had spent years grinding for perfect Pokemon or travelled to Go Fest hoping to obtain one themselves.
Responses to the official Pokemon Go X account were similarly dominated by dissatisfaction over the belief that content creators and influencers had been favored over the wider player base.
To every Trainer who has been part of this journey:
Thank you. 🥹♥️
For the friendships, the adventures, the discoveries, and the memories. Your passion has shaped Pokémon GO into what it is today.
We’re grateful to celebrate 10 amazing years with you, and we can’t wait to see… pic.twitter.com/QYwJziw3zB
— Pokémon GO (@PokemonGoApp) July 10, 2026
Some defended the decision, pointing out that Community Ambassadors and content creators have helped build local Pokemon Go communities for years, while others noted attendance had to be capped at 2,000 because of Times Square’s limited capacity.
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Since the Times Square event, a number of Pokemon Go content creators have shared their experiences and thoughts on the topic. Caleb Peng, who didn’t attend the event in person, said people invited had no idea what it entailed, including being granted access to the contentious Mewtwo.
Alex Nexton, who was invented to attend, reiterated this, stating, “I had absolutely no idea that was going to happen. None of us did. The entire day was surprise after surprise, and that reveal was one of them.”
Peng also tried to dissuade players from being hostile toward creators who were invited. “I think it’s ridiculous that anyone going to/invited to the event should get hate for it. To my knowledge, they didn’t even know what was in store for them and they’re allowed to be excited about a perfect Mewtwo with the New York background.” Who wouldn’t be?”
As someone who watched the event from home, I totally get all the posts of people who went and had the time of their lives. They got to get probably one of the most exclusive Pokémon to have ever existed in the game with a special New York background and guaranteed 100% stats.… https://t.co/HSAwcbJoxZ
— Caleb Peng (@CalebPeng) July 11, 2026
Hey everyone,
I just wanted to address this briefly, so if you have a moment, I'd really appreciate you reading this.
First of all, I completely understand why some of you are upset. I genuinely do. I can see where you're coming from because I'm human too, and above all else,… pic.twitter.com/AG7sP9YqaH
— AlexNexton (@NextonAlex) July 10, 2026
Players worldwide won’t miss out on Mega Mewtwo itself. Mega Mewtwo raids are available globally as part of Pokemon Go Fest 2026, though the exclusive Times Square background and guaranteed perfect IV reward remain unique to the anniversary event.
Dexerto has contacted Scopely for comment.
