Creatures Inc. received one-third of the Pokémon franchise rights after investing in Game Freak.
Pokémon Red and Green took about six years to produce and placed serious financial pressure on Game Freak. According to accounts of the game's development, the company sometimes struggled to pay its employees, while Satoshi Tajiri did not take a salary during the difficult period.
Investment from Creatures Inc. helped Game Freak complete the games. In return, Creatures received one-third of the franchise rights. Nintendo was the publisher and played a crucial role in bringing the games to market, but it was not the company that received this particular share in exchange for that investment.
Creatures later became a major Pokémon partner, contributing to areas such as the Pokémon Trading Card Game and related media. The Pokémon Company itself was established later to manage the franchise across its many businesses.