Pokémon GO turned ten this week, and the team marked the milestone with a sweeping piece of anniversary art from the designer who drew the game's very first faces.
The image dropped on July 6 - ten years to the day since Pokémon GO launched in 2016 - next to a short thank-you note to players. At a glance it is a whole decade squeezed into one frame: parade balloons, fireworks, a crowd of Pokémon and, right at the front, the human faces that greeted every Trainer on day one.
The artist who has been here since day one
The artwork is by Yusuke Kozaki, Pokémon GO's long-time character designer - and that is the part worth pausing on. Kozaki designed the game's three Team Leaders, Candela, Blanche and Spark, together with Professor Willow, back when the game first launched. The faces front-and-centre in the anniversary piece are the same ones he drew a decade ago.
You have almost certainly seen his work outside Pokémon GO too: Kozaki is the character designer behind Fire Emblem: Awakening, Fire Emblem: Fates and the No More Heroes series, and he has even designed a few Pokémon himself - Toxel, Toxtricity and Falinks in Pokémon Sword and Shield.
Kozaki has said he wanted the Pokémon GO characters to look like they could actually exist in our world - a deliberate nod to the game's AR promise of Pokémon living just around the corner. Ten years on, that idea still holds the whole art style together.
What is hiding in the picture
It rewards a second look. Two giant parade balloons - Pikachu and Eevee - float over a night-time city street, Professor Willow leans in for a selfie with Meltan in hand, and a translucent Mewtwo glows in the middle of it all, surrounded by dozens of costumed Pikachu.
- Zeraora takes centre stage. The Mythical Pokémon crouches front-and-centre, and the timing is no accident - it makes its global debut at Pokémon GO Fest 2026 this coming weekend.
- A decade of art on the walls. Look past the characters and the background screens are replaying earlier anniversary artworks - a quiet callback to every year that came before.
- The Arceus question. Eagle-eyed fans have spotted a shadowy silhouette near the giant Pikachu balloon that looks a lot like Arceus, one of the last major Mythical Pokémon never released in Pokémon GO. Nothing is confirmed, so treat it as a fun bit of speculation rather than a promise.
Ten years, and still going
Since launching on July 6, 2016, Pokémon GO has grown from a summer craze into a decade-long habit for millions - and, by industry estimates, more than $9 billion in lifetime revenue. The party is not winding down either: an anniversary livestream airs on July 9 with Twitch Drops for viewers, and it all builds toward GO Fest 2026: Global on July 11-12, where Zeraora arrives for everyone.
"Thank you for making the last decade unforgettable. The next chapter starts now, and we can't wait to continue the journey with you. Let's GO!"
- The Pokémon GO team
Sources: Pokémon GO - Happy 10th anniversary; artist background via Wikipedia and Niantic's Developer Diaries.