Pokémon Red and Green took six years to develop before their Japanese release.
Satoshi Tajiri first conceived the Pokémon idea around 1990 after seeing how two Game Boys could communicate through a link cable. He imagined players trading collectible creatures, combining his interest in technology with memories of collecting insects as a child.
The project became unusually demanding for Game Freak. The team had to build a large role-playing game, create many creatures, implement trading, and work within the technical limits of the original Game Boy. The long development period placed serious financial pressure on the company.
The games finally launched in Japan on February 27, 1996. Their success made the lengthy development worthwhile and established the foundation for Pokémon’s 30-year history. Later games added new regions and species, but the original design principles of collecting, training, battling, and trading remained central.