Who conceived the original Pokémon concept for the Pokémon franchise?

Satoshi Tajiri conceived the original Pokémon concept for the Pokémon franchise.

Tajiri grew up collecting insects and wanted to recreate that feeling of discovery in a video game. His idea centered on finding, collecting, training, and exchanging creatures with other players. The link-cable trading feature was especially important because it turned social interaction into part of the game’s central design.

Tajiri presented the idea to Nintendo after founding Game Freak, the company that had begun as a video-game magazine. Development of Pocket Monsters started around 1990, although the project took several years to complete. Tajiri directed the game while other collaborators handled production, programming, music, graphics, and character design.

A common mix-up is crediting Shigeru Miyamoto as Pokémon’s creator. Miyamoto was an influential Nintendo adviser who suggested releasing paired versions, but Tajiri originated the concept. Tsunekazu Ishihara also played a major production role, while Ken Sugimori created much of the artwork.