Game Freak, Inc. is a Japanese video game development studio founded on April 26, 1989 by Satoshi Tajiri and Ken Sugimori. Prior to this, Game Freak was a self-published gaming magazine that was run by Tajiri (as writer) and Sugimori (as illustrator) throughout the 1980s, with the name "Game Freak" coming from a pseudonym that Tajiri used when previously writing for other publications.
Game Freak has a long-running love of platformers, creating multiple games such as Pulseman and Drill Dozer in the genre, in addition to small experimental titles in other genres, such as the Horse Racing/Solitaire mix that is Pocket Card Jockey. However, the small developer would find their Breakthrough Hit in 1996, when Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto convinced the publisher to take a chance on a game idea that Tajiri and his team had been developing on-and-off for years: a social JRPG where players fight, collect, and trade creatures known as Pokémon. If a person is even aware that it's Game Freak that makes Pokémon, and not Nintendo, they probably have no idea they make anything else. But considering how much Game Freak desires to retain their small, garage developer feel, they probably don't mind any "who?" moments too much.
Despite popular belief, Nintendo doesn't actually own Game Freak; despite the vast majority of the company's gameography being exclusive to Nintendo hardware, and Game Freak itself moving into Nintendo's Tokyo building in 2020, they're a fully independent third-party developer. What Nintendo does own is a third of the Pokémon franchise, with complete ownership over the trademarks. As such, while the developer can and has freely made other games for non-Nintendo systems, a major Pokémon game will never be one of them. Nintendo has similar business relationships with other key partners, such as HAL Laboratory and Intelligent Systems.
Games made by Game Freak include:
- Mendel Palace(1989; NES)note
- Yoshi (1991; NES and Game Boy) note
- Smart Ball (1991; SNES)note
- Jelly Boy 2 (Unreleased sequel for the SNES)
- Magical Taruruto-kun (1992; Sega Mega Drive)Japan only
- Mario & Wario (1993; SNES)Japan only
- Pulseman (1994; Mega Drive)note
- Pokémon Red and Green (1996; Game Boy)original JP version
- Pokémon Red and Blue (1998; Game Boy)original US version
- Pokémon Yellow (1998; Game Boy Updated Re-release)
- Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen (2004; Game Boy Advance remake)
- Pokémon Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee! (2018; Nintendo Switch remake)
- Bushi Seiryuden (1998; SNES)Japan only
- Pokémon Gold and Silver (1999; Game Boy Color)
- Pokémon Crystal (2000; GBC Updated Re-release)
- Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver (2009; Nintendo DS remake)
- Click Medic (1999; PlayStation)Japan only
- Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire (2002; GBA)
- Pokémon Emerald (2004; GBA Updated Re-release)
- Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire (2014; Nintendo 3DS remake)
- Drill Dozernote (2005; GBA)
- Pokémon Diamond and Pearl (2006; Nintendo DS)
- Pokémon Platinum (2008; Nintendo DS Updated Re-release)
- Pokémon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl (2021; Switch remake, co-developed with ILCA)
- Pokémon Black and White (2010; Nintendo DS)
- Pokémon Black 2 and White 2 (2012; Nintendo DS sequel)
- HarmoKnightnote (2012; 3DS eShop)
- Pokémon X and Y (2013; 3DS)
- Pocket Card Jockeynote (2013; Mobile and 3DS eShop)
- Pocket Card Jockey: Ride On! (2023; Apple Arcade and Switch)
- Tembo the Badass Elephant (2015; Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC)
- Pokémon Sun and Moon (2016; 3DS)
- Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon (2017; 3DS Updated Re-release)
- Giga Wrecker (2017; PC)
- Giga Wrecker ALT (2019; Switch, XBO and PS4 Updated Re-release)
- Pokémon Quest (2018; Switch and Mobile)
- Little Town Hero (2019; Switch, PS4, Xbox One, PC)
- Pokémon Sword and Shield (2019; Switch)
- Pokémon Legends: Arceus (2022; Switch)
- Pokémon Scarlet and Violet (2022; Switch)
- Pokémon Legends: Z-A (2025; Switch)
- Project Bloom (TBA)
