Who created the Pokémon video game concept that became the 1996 series?

Satoshi Tajiri created the Pokémon video game concept that became the 1996 series.

Tajiri’s childhood interest in collecting insects helped inspire the idea of creatures that players could find, capture, and study. He also saw potential in the Game Boy’s Link Cable, imagining that players could exchange creatures between cartridges rather than only compete directly.

Tajiri presented the concept to Nintendo around 1990 while working through his company, Game Freak. The project eventually became Pocket Monsters, later shortened internationally to Pokémon. Development took years and continued through several delays before Red and Green were completed.

Ken Sugimori led the artwork and character design, while Shigeru Miyamoto advised the project and suggested releasing paired versions with different Pokémon. Those contributions sometimes lead to confusion about who “created” Pokémon, but Tajiri is credited with originating the concept and directing the games.