Who created the Pokémon franchise and served as the original Pokémon game designer?

Satoshi Tajiri created the Pokémon franchise and served as the original designer of its first games.

Tajiri developed the concept after observing the communication abilities of the Game Boy Link Cable. He imagined players exchanging collectible creatures between systems, an idea connected to his childhood interest in collecting insects and exploring nature.

Tajiri founded Game Freak with illustrator Ken Sugimori, who became central to the visual identity of the franchise. Tajiri pitched the Pokémon concept to Nintendo around 1990, and the first games took about six years to complete.

Shigeru Miyamoto was an important Nintendo mentor during development, but he did not create Pokémon. Junichi Masuda later became a major composer, director, and producer for the series. The distinction matters because several famous Nintendo and Game Freak figures contributed to Pokémon without being its original creator.