Development on the original Pokémon Red and Green games began in 1990.
The project grew from Game Freak designer Satoshi Tajiri’s interest in collecting insects and his childhood experiences with the Game Boy’s link cable. Tajiri imagined players exchanging creatures between connected handheld systems, turning collecting and trading into central parts of the design.
The games were developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy. Development took several years, and Pokémon Red and Green were finally released in Japan on February 27, 1996. Their success created the foundation for the wider Pokémon video game, anime, card, and merchandise franchise.
The year 1990 refers to the beginning of development, not the games’ release. The franchise’s 30th anniversary in 2026 is based on the 1996 Japanese launch, which is why the two dates are often discussed together.