Game Freak

The covers of several issues of Game Freak magazine

Predating the video game company, Game Freak was a self-published video game magazine created by Satoshi Tajiri and Ken Sugimori in the 1980s. Tajiri wrote and edited the text and Sugimori illustrated. 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.[3][4]

On April 26, 1989, Tajiri, Sugimori and Junichi Masuda started a video game development company with the same name.[5][6][7][8] 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)[9]—is published and distributed respectively by The Pokémon Company and Nintendo worldwide.

In October 2015, Game Freak bought Koa Games, a mobile development company.[10]

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.[11] 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.[12]

In February 2020, Game Freak transferred from its building in Tokyo to a much larger office from Nintendo which planned to relocate four other buildings of the company with their divisions, plus other companies in Kanda-Nishikicho, Tokyo. With this, Game Freak is currently on the same building of Nintendo EPD Tokyo, Nintendo PTD Tokyo, HAL Laboratory and 1-Up Studio.[13][14]

• Official website (in Japanese)
• Game Freak at IGN