Who conceived the Pokémon franchise before its first games were developed?

Satoshi Tajiri conceived the Pokémon franchise before its first games were developed.

Tajiri was inspired by childhood insect collecting and by the communication capabilities of the Game Boy. He imagined players exchanging creatures through the Game Link Cable, turning a solitary handheld game into a social experience.

Tajiri founded Game Freak with artist Ken Sugimori, and the company eventually developed Pocket Monsters Red and Green for Nintendo. Tajiri directed the project and helped shape its game design, while Sugimori led the visual design and Junichi Masuda composed the music.

A common mix-up is crediting Shigeru Miyamoto as Pokémon’s creator. Miyamoto was an important Nintendo mentor and producer, but Tajiri originated the franchise’s central concept. The first games took roughly six years to complete and became the foundation for Pokémon’s games, television series, trading cards and merchandise.