Who created the Pokémon franchise and directed the original Pokémon games?

Satoshi Tajiri created the Pokémon franchise and directed the original Pokémon games.

Tajiri grew up enjoying insects and exploring natural areas around Machida, Japan. That childhood interest later influenced his idea for a game based on finding, collecting, and exchanging creatures. The Game Boy’s link cable helped him imagine players trading creatures between separate handheld systems.

Tajiri founded Game Freak with Ken Sugimori, who became the principal illustrator and character designer for the early games. Shigeru Miyamoto of Nintendo also mentored the project during development, but he was not Pokémon’s creator.

Tajiri directed Pokémon Red and Green and remained involved in the series afterward. His role later shifted toward executive production as Game Freak developed Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire. The franchise’s origin story is therefore connected both to a personal fascination with collecting insects and to the social possibilities of Nintendo’s portable hardware.