When were Pokémon Red and Green originally planned to be released in Japan?

Pokémon Red and Green were originally planned for release in Japan on December 21, 1995.

Development was completed by October 1995, but the games did not meet that planned date. Their release was delayed until February 27, 1996, because derivative products were not yet ready for sale. The eventual launch date became the official beginning of the Pokémon video-game franchise.

The delay illustrates how Pokémon was designed from the start as more than a standalone game. Nintendo and its partners were preparing related merchandise and other products, while Game Freak continued refining the software. The franchise’s cross-media strategy later expanded into animation, trading cards, films, and toys.

The actual Japanese launch involved Red and Green, not the internationally familiar Red and Blue pairing. Blue was introduced later as a special Japanese edition and supplied the technical foundation for the overseas versions.