Satoshi Tajiri’s original video game magazine was called Game Freak, the same name later used by his development company.
Tajiri created the self-published magazine in 1983 to discuss arcade games, strategies, and discoveries. It was handwritten and stapled together rather than produced as a conventional commercial magazine. Ken Sugimori later joined as an illustrator after finding a copy in a shop.
The magazine’s name became the identity of the development studio Tajiri and Sugimori established in 1989. This makes Game Freak unusual among major game developers: its name originated in a fan publication before becoming a company brand.
The studio eventually developed Pokémon for Nintendo’s Game Boy. The franchise’s success transformed Game Freak from a small independent developer into one of Japan’s best-known game studios, while the original magazine remains an important part of its history.