Satoshi Tajiri and Ken Sugimori established Game Freak on April 26, 1989.
Game Freak began earlier as a self-published video-game magazine created by Tajiri in 1983. Sugimori joined as an illustrator after discovering the magazine, and the two later turned the name into a video-game development company. The company’s early game projects included Quinty, released internationally as Mendel Palace.
Game Freak became best known as the primary developer of the Pokémon role-playing games. Tajiri created the original concept, while Sugimori supplied important visual design and artwork. Nintendo published the games, and Creatures became another major company involved in the broader Pokémon business.
The company’s founding date is different from Pokémon’s franchise launch date. Game Freak was established in 1989, while Pocket Monsters Red and Green debuted in Japan on February 27, 1996. That distinction matters when tracing the history behind Pokémon’s 30th anniversary.