Predating the video game company,Game Freak was a self-publishedvideo game magazine created bySatoshi Tajiri andKen Sugimori in the 1980s. The first issue was published in 1983 by Tajiri.[3] Sugimori would join the magazine at a later date as an illustrator after finding the magazine in a shop and liking it.[4] Tajiri also used "Game Freak" as his pen name when he wrote as a freelance writer to publications such asFamily Computer Magazine andFamicom Tsūshin.[5][6]
On April 26, 1989, Tajiri and Sugimori started a video game development company with the same name.[7][8] One of Game Freak's first games was theNintendo Entertainment System action and puzzle gameQuinty, which was released in North America asMendel Palace. Its most popular series,Pokémon—theromanizedportmanteau of the Japanese brandPocket Monsters (ポケットモンスター,Poketto Monsutā)[9]—is published and distributed respectively byThe Pokémon Company andNintendo worldwide.
In October 2015, Game Freak acquired Koa Games, a mobile development company.[10] The company was subsequently merged into Game Freak on December 1, 2015.[11]
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.[12] The company's Gear Project initiative, which encourages creators to pitch original game ideas during quiet periods, has so far resulted in original gamesHarmoKnight,Pocket Card Jockey,Tembo the Badass Elephant andGiga Wrecker.[13]
In February 2020, Game Freak relocated their headquarters to Kanda Square, an office building inNishikichō shared with Nintendo's Tokyo branch.[14]
In October 2024, nearly a terabyte of data from Game Freak'sservers was stolen. Developmentbuilds,source code, and testsprites either planned or released for pastPokémon games were found, as well ascode names for upcomingPokémon games, and prototypes of unreleased remakes ofQuinty andYoshi.[15][16] 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.[15] They also stated that many employees'personal information had been leaked.[15]
^"Interview: Tajiri and Ishihara on Pokemon's Beginnings". November 25, 2020.Archived from the original on January 18, 2021. RetrievedDecember 6, 2021.Dr Lava's notes: Before it was a video game company, Game Freak was a gaming magazine Tajiri hand-wrote and stapled together from home in the early 1980's.
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