Game Freak developed the original Pokémon games for Nintendo.
The studio was founded by Satoshi Tajiri and Ken Sugimori and began as a Japanese video-game magazine before becoming a development company. Game Freak created Pocket Monsters Red and Green for the Game Boy, with Nintendo publishing the games in Japan in 1996.
Game Freak handled the core role of designing and programming the original role-playing games. Its work established the series’ central systems: exploring a region, catching creatures, training them, battling with them, and trading with other players. Those mechanics remained foundations of later generations.
The company is often mixed up with Creatures, another important Pokémon partner. Creatures helped develop the Trading Card Game and provides support in areas such as three-dimensional Pokémon models. Nintendo is the publisher and platform holder, while The Pokémon Company manages the broader brand. These companies’ close relationship can make their roles seem interchangeable, but Game Freak is the specific developer credited with the first main-series Pokémon games.