How long did Game Freak take to develop the original Pokémon games?

Game Freak took six years to develop the original Pokémon games.

Satoshi Tajiri first conceived the Pokémon idea in 1990 after seeing the Game Boy and thinking about how its Link Cable could connect players. The project eventually became Pokémon Red and Green, which launched in Japan in 1996.

Development was unusually demanding for a small studio. Game Freak faced financial pressure, and the lengthy production period contributed to serious difficulties, including periods when there was barely enough money to pay employees. Investment from Creatures helped the team finish the games.

The six-year figure is sometimes confused with the franchise’s later development cycles or with the time between the Japanese and international releases. It refers to the creation of the original games from the early concept through their Japanese release, not the later worldwide localization process.