L + nostalgia hit, no cap — Pokémon Go just straight-up cloned its 2016 Times Square Mewtwo raid for the 10th anniversary and the screens in NYC went full blackout mode before Mega Mewtwo Y popped off like a boss. Over a thousand trainers showed up for the Unity Raid, phones raised like it was the summer of Pikachu chases and Dratini trespassing, and when the countdown hit zero the legendary flipped into its Mega Y form while players' avatars and Pokémon lit up every billboard around them. Two raids, a guaranteed hundo for the second one caught with a Master Ball, and a year-by-year in-game rewind that dropped raids and spawns from each era — pure chaotic Gen Z dream fuel.

The crowd went feral when someone yelled "I'm never gonna stop playing" as Mewtwo appeared, and Eurogamer's on-the-ground reporter Lottie Lynn straight-up said it felt like 2016 all over again with that same electric "we all love this stupid thing together" vibe. Scopely Explore (yeah, Niantic Labs rebrand) cooked the whole thing after teasing it with vanishing Mewtwo displays in Japan and anniversary art that basically spoiled the Times Square setting. Go Fest Global drops this weekend with the free entry and global Mega Mewtwo drops, so the anniversary hype train ain't stopping.

This wasn't just marketing — it was closure on the original trailer promise, and the fact they pulled off a real-world takeover with thousands of phones in the air proves the game still hits different a decade later. Community reactions on X are pure "unforgettable surprise" and "10 years later and we're still raiding legendaries in the streets" energy. If you're not jealous you weren't there waving your phone at a giant digital Mewtwo, skill issue.