Satoshi Tajiri created the Pokémon franchise and developed the original concept behind it.
Tajiri founded Game Freak, which began as a video-game magazine and later became a game-development company. His childhood interest in collecting insects helped inspire the idea of creatures that players could find, collect, exchange, and study. The planned communication and trading features eventually became central to Pokémon's identity.
Tajiri worked with Nintendo and other collaborators to turn the concept into a Game Boy role-playing game. Pokémon Red and Green launched in Japan in 1996 after a lengthy development period. The games combined exploration, creature collection, turn-based battles, and link-cable trading in a way that encouraged players to interact.
Satoshi Tajiri is sometimes confused with other major Pokémon figures. Ken Sugimori provided important character and Pokémon artwork, while Shigeru Miyamoto was a prominent Nintendo adviser and producer. Tajiri, however, is the person most directly credited as the franchise's creator.