Who conceived the Pokémon franchise?

Satoshi Tajiri conceived the Pokémon franchise. His childhood interest in collecting insects helped inspire the idea of finding, collecting, and trading fictional creatures.

Tajiri developed the concept after seeing the Game Boy and considering how its Link Cable could connect two players. He imagined creatures moving between handheld systems, turning the cable from a competitive accessory into a tool for exchange and collection.

Tajiri presented the idea to Nintendo, and development began at Game Freak. Shigeru Miyamoto acted as an important mentor during production, while Ken Sugimori provided much of the visual artwork. The project eventually became Pokémon Red and Green in Japan.

The first games took about six years to develop and placed heavy financial pressure on Game Freak. Their eventual success transformed Pokémon into a multimedia franchise spanning games, animation, trading cards, films, merchandise, and live events.