Game Freak
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 —is published and distributed respectively by The Pokémon Company and Nintendo worldwide. In October 2015, Game Freak bought Koa Games, a mobile development company. 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 transferred from its building in Tokyo to a much larger office near Nintendo, which planned to relocate four other divisions, plus other companies based in Kanda-Nishikicho, Tokyo. With this move, Game Freak is currently in the same building as Nintendo EPD Tokyo, Nintendo PTD Tokyo, HAL Laboratory and 1-Up Studio.