Game Freak spent six years developing Pokémon Red and Green.
The lengthy development period reflected the ambition of building a role-playing game around collecting, training, battling, and trading creatures. The team had to design the Pokémon, create the world, program the battle and trading systems, and fit the project onto Game Boy cartridges.
The concept originated with Satoshi Tajiri’s interest in insect collecting and the communication possibilities of the Game Boy Link Cable. Rather than making the cable only a competitive feature, Tajiri imagined players exchanging creatures. That idea became one of the defining features of Pokémon and helped distinguish it from many other handheld role-playing games.
Development was financially difficult for Game Freak, and the studio reportedly struggled to maintain its staff and finances before completion. The eventual Japanese release of Pokémon Red and Green on February 27, 1996, validated the long effort. The games’ success turned a risky project into the foundation of a global franchise.