The first Pokémon games were released in Japan on February 27, 1996, beginning the franchise's 30-year history.
The games were Pocket Monsters Red and Pocket Monsters Green for Nintendo's Game Boy. They were developed by Game Freak from an original concept by Satoshi Tajiri and published by Nintendo.
The Japanese launch predates the international versions. Pokémon Red and Blue reached North America in 1998, followed by releases in other regions. The original games established the central formula of catching, training, battling, and trading Pokémon.
The anniversary date is sometimes confused with the debut of the anime or trading card game. Those arrived later: the anime premiered in Japan in 1997, while the first Japanese Pokémon Trading Card Game products appeared in October 1996. February 27 is therefore known as Pokémon Day because it marks the video games' original Japanese release.