Game Freak developed the Pokémon video-game series.
Game Freak began as a self-published video-game magazine created by Satoshi Tajiri. Tajiri and illustrator Ken Sugimori later transformed it into a video-game development company in 1989. The studio eventually created Pokémon in collaboration with Nintendo.
Game Freak developed the original Pokémon games for the Game Boy, including Pocket Monsters Red and Green. Nintendo published the games and provided crucial hardware and business support, but Game Freak was the development studio responsible for designing and programming the core games.
The company continued developing the main Pokémon role-playing games through later generations. Creatures became another important partner in the franchise, especially for licensing, the trading card game, and other Pokémon-related work. Because Nintendo is the best-known company associated with the brand, players sometimes incorrectly identify Nintendo as the original developer.