Pokémon Red and Green had originally been planned for release on December 21, 1995.
The games were ultimately delayed until February 27, 1996, when they launched in Japan for the Game Boy. The reason given for the delay was that derivative products connected with the franchise were not yet ready for sale. This pushed the beginning of Pokémon’s commercial era into 1996.
The final release pair was Pocket Monsters Red and Green. Later, Pokémon Blue appeared in Japan as an improved version, first distributed through CoroCoro Comic before receiving a general retail release. International versions used the names Pokémon Red and Blue and were based on the Japanese Blue version’s updated content.
The planned 1995 date is easy to confuse with the actual anniversary date. February 27, 1996, is the date associated with Pokémon Day and the franchise’s video-game debut, while December 21, 1995, describes the abandoned schedule.