Who conceived the Pokémon franchise and directed its first games?

Satoshi Tajiri conceived the Pokémon franchise and directed its first games.

Tajiri grew up collecting insects around Machida, Japan, and wanted to recreate the excitement of finding and collecting creatures in a video game. The Game Boy’s link cable gave him the key idea: players could exchange creatures between separate systems.

Tajiri developed the concept through Game Freak, the company he co-founded with illustrator Ken Sugimori. Nintendo approved the project, and Shigeru Miyamoto served as an important mentor during development. Pokémon Red and Green took about six years to complete and nearly bankrupted Game Freak.

Sugimori is often confused with Tajiri because he created the artwork for the original Pokémon and illustrated the first 151 species. Junichi Masuda composed music and later became a major director and producer, but Tajiri was the original creative force behind the franchise.