# Game Freak

Game Freak Inc. is a Japanese video game developer, best known as the primary developer and co-owners of the Pokémon series of role-playing video games.

## History

Predating the video game company, Game Freak was a self-published video game magazine created by Satoshi Tajiri and Ken Sugimori in the 1980s. The first issue was published in 1983 by Tajiri. Sugimori would join the magazine at a later date as an illustrator after finding the magazine in a shop and liking it. Tajiri also used "Game Freak" as his pen name when he wrote as a freelance writer to publications such as Family Computer Magazine and Famicom Tsūshin.
On April 26, 1989, Tajiri, Sugimori and Junichi Masuda started a video game development company with the same name. One of Game Freak's first games was the Nintendo Entertainment System action and puzzle game Quinty, which was released in North America as Mendel Palace. Its most popular series, Pokémon—the romanized portmanteau of the Japanese brand Pocket Monsters (ポケットモンスター, Poketto Monsutā)—is published and distributed respectively by The Pokémon Company and Nintendo worldwide.
In October 2015, Game Freak acquired Koa Games, a mobile development company. The company was subsequently merged into Game Freak on December 1, 2015.
In May 2019, Game Freak director Masayuki Onoue revealed that Game Freak is increasingly prioritizing original game creation, in order to grow the experience of its staff. The company's Gear Project initiative, which encourages creators to pitch original game ideas during quiet periods, has so far resulted in original games HarmoKnight, Pocket Card Jockey, Tembo the Badass Elephant and Giga Wrecker.
In February 2020, Game Freak relocated their headquarters to Kanda Square, an office building in Nishikichō shared with Nintendo's Tokyo branch.
In October 2024, nearly a terabyte of data from Game Freak's servers was stolen. Development builds, source code, and test sprites either planned or released for past Pokémon games were found, as well as code names for upcoming Pokémon games, and prototypes of unreleased remakes of Quinty and Yoshi. Shortly afterwards, Game Freak addressed the incident, stating that the leak was due to "unauthorized access to our servers by a third party", which had taken place in August 2024. They also stated that many employees' personal information had been leaked. Various non-canon Pokémon stories were also discovered.

## Games

List of video games developed by Game Freak :
| Year | Title | Publisher | Platform(s) |
| 1989 | Mendel Palace | Namco$^{JP}$, Hudson Soft$^{NA}$ | Nintendo Entertainment System |
| 1991 | Smart Ball | Epic/Sony Records$^{JP}$, Sony Imagesoft$^{NA}$ | Super Nintendo Entertainment System |
| 1991 | Yoshi | Nintendo | NES, Game Boy |
| 1992 | Magical Tarurūto-kun | Sega | Mega Drive |
| 1993 | Mario & Wario | Nintendo | Super Famicom |
| 1994 | Nontan to Issho: KuruKuru Puzzle | Victor Entertainment | Game Boy, Super Famicom |
| 1994 | Pulseman | Sega | Mega Drive |
| 1996 | Pokémon Red and Blue | Nintendo | Game Boy |
| 1996 | Bazaar de Gosāru no Game de Gosāru | NEC Home Electronics | PC Engine CD-ROM² |
| 1997 | Bushi Seiryūden: Futari no Yūsha | T&E Soft | Super Famicom |
| 1998 | Pokémon Yellow | Nintendo | Game Boy |
| 1999 | Click Medic | Sony Music Entertainment Japan | PlayStation |
| 1999 | Pokémon Gold and Silver | Nintendo | Game Boy Color |
| 2000 | Pokémon Crystal | Nintendo | Game Boy Color |
| 2002 | Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire | Nintendo The Pokémon Company | Game Boy Advance |
| 2003 | Pokémon Box: Ruby and Sapphire | Nintendo The Pokémon Company | GameCube |
| 2004 | Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen | Nintendo The Pokémon Company | Game Boy Advance |
| 2004 | Pokémon Emerald | Nintendo The Pokémon Company | Game Boy Advance |
| 2005 | Drill Dozer | Nintendo | Game Boy Advance |
| 2006 | Pokémon Diamond and Pearl | Nintendo The Pokémon Company | Nintendo DS |
| 2008 | Pokémon Platinum | Nintendo The Pokémon Company | Nintendo DS |
| 2009 | Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver | Nintendo The Pokémon Company | Nintendo DS |
| 2010 | Pokémon Black and White | Nintendo The Pokémon Company | Nintendo DS |
| 2012 | Pokémon Black 2 and White 2 | Nintendo The Pokémon Company | Nintendo DS |
| 2012 | HarmoKnight | Nintendo | Nintendo 3DS |
| 2013 | Pocket Card Jockey | Game Freak$^{JP}$, Nintendo$^{WW}$ | Nintendo 3DS, iOS, Android |
| 2013 | Pokémon X and Y | Nintendo The Pokémon Company | Nintendo 3DS |
| 2014 | Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire | Nintendo The Pokémon Company | Nintendo 3DS |
| 2015 | Tembo the Badass Elephant | Sega | Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Windows |
| 2016 | Pokémon Sun and Moon | Nintendo The Pokémon Company | Nintendo 3DS |
| 2017 | Giga Wrecker | Rising Star Games | Windows |
| 2017 | Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon | Nintendo The Pokémon Company | Nintendo 3DS |
| 2018 | Pokémon Quest | Nintendo The Pokémon Company | Nintendo Switch, iOS, Android |
| 2018 | Pokémon Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee! | Nintendo The Pokémon Company | Nintendo Switch |
| 2019 | Giga Wrecker Alt. | Rising Star Games | PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch |
| 2019 | Little Town Hero | Digital: Game Freak Retail: NIS America$^{WW}$, Rainy Frog$^{JP}$ | Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows, Xbox One |
| 2019 | Pokémon Sword and Shield | Nintendo The Pokémon Company | Nintendo Switch |
| 2022 | Pokémon Legends: Arceus | Nintendo The Pokémon Company | Nintendo Switch |
| 2022 | Pokémon Scarlet and Violet | Nintendo The Pokémon Company | Nintendo Switch |
| 2023 | Pocket Card Jockey: Ride On! | Game Freak | iOS, macOS, Nintendo Switch |
| 2024 | Pandoland | WonderPlanet | iOS, Android |
| 2025 | Pokémon Legends: Z-A | Nintendo The Pokémon Company | Nintendo Switch |
| TBA | Project Bloom | Private Division | TBA |