Pokémon Red and Blue
1996 · RPG · Game Boy
Overview
Pokémon Red and Blue launched the highest-grossing entertainment franchise in history. Players captured, trained, and battled creatures called Pokémon across two versions with slight differences in available species, requiring trading between versions to complete the 151-creature Pokédex. The Game Boy Link Cable was built into the game's design from the beginning.
Deep Dive
Pokémon was designed by Satoshi Tajiri and developed over six years at Game Freak. Tajiri's concept — creatures that could be captured and traded between Game Boys via the Link Cable — was inspired by his childhood insect collecting in rural Japan. The version duality — Red and Blue with different exclusive Pokémon — made the Link Cable essential for completionists. The game launched in Japan in February 1996 and in North America in September 1998, simultaneously with the anime series.
Developer Story
Pokémon was designed by Satoshi Tajiri and developed by Game Freak over six years. Tajiri had met Shigeru Miyamoto through Ken Sugimori, and Miyamoto's advocacy within Nintendo kept the project funded through periods of financial difficulty. The game launched in Japan in February 1996.
Did You Know?
- Pokémon's six-year development nearly bankrupted Game Freak — the team worked without salaries for extended periods and some members took outside work to survive.
- The version duality — Red versus Blue — was intentional from the beginning of design: Tajiri's concept required trading to be necessary for completion, not optional.
- MissingNo — a glitch Pokémon that appeared through a specific sequence of actions — became one of gaming's most famous bugs, immortalised in player folklore.
- The original 151 Pokémon were all designed by Ken Sugimori using traditional art materials; digital design tools were adopted for subsequent generations.
