Game Freak
{{Short description|Japanese video game developer}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2019}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Game Freak Inc.
| logo = Game Freak logo.svg
| logo_alt =
| logo_caption =
| image = KANDA SQUARE 2023-05-18.jpg
| image_alt =
| image_caption = Headquarters in Chiyoda, Tokyo
| native_name = 株式会社ゲームフリーク
| native_name_lang = ja
| romanized_name = Gēmu Furīku
| former_name =
| industry = Video games
| genre = Video game development
| fate =
| predecessor =
| successor =
| founded = {{Start date and age|1989|04|26}} in Tokyo, Japan
| founders = {{Unbulleted list
}}
| defunct =
| hq_location = Kanda Square, 2-2-1 Kandanishiki-cho
| hq_location_city = Chiyoda, Tokyo
| hq_location_country = Japan
| num_locations = 1
| num_locations_year = 2020
| area_served =
| key_people = {{Unbulleted list
| Satoshi Tajiri {{Small|(president)}}
| Tetsuya Watanabe {{Small|(managing director)}}
| Shigeru Ohmori {{Small|(senior director)}}
| Ken Sugimori {{Small|(art director)}}
}}
| products = Pokémon series
| brands =
| owner =
| num_employees = 207
| num_employees_year = 2024
| parent =
| subsid =
| website = {{URL|https://www.gamefreak.co.jp/}}
| footnotes = {{Cite web|title=会社概要｜GAME FREAK 株式会社ゲームフリーク｜GAME FREAK 株式会社ゲームフリーク|url=https://www.gamefreak.co.jp/|access-date=2020-07-04|website=GAME FREAK 株式会社ゲームフリーク オフィシャルサイト|language=ja}}{{Cite web|title=GAME FREAK Secret Base for GAME FREAK's 30th Anniversary {{!}} GAME FREAK|url=https://www.gamefreak.co.jp/town/30th/en/|access-date=2020-07-04|website=GAME FREAK Secret Base for GAME FREAK's 30th Anniversary {{!}} GAME FREAK|language=en}}
}}
{{Nihongo foot|Game Freak Inc.|株式会社ゲームフリーク|Kabushiki gaisha Gēmu Furīku|lead=yes|group=lower-alpha}} 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.{{cite book |url=https://niwanetwork.org/wiki/images/c/c5/Game_Freak_Vol._1.png |title=ポケモンをつくった男 田尻智 |trans-title=Satoshi Tajiri: A Man Who Created Pokémon |publisher= 太田出版|page= |isbn=978-4872338331 |year=2004 |author1=宮昌太朗 |author2=田尻智 }} Sugimori would join the magazine at a later date as an illustrator after finding the magazine in a shop and liking it.{{cite web |url=http://lavacutcontent.com/satoshi-tajiri-ishihara-interview/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20210118225356/http://lavacutcontent.com/satoshi-tajiri-ishihara-interview/#selection-575.1-575.456 |title=Interview: Tajiri and Ishihara on Pokemon's Beginnings |quote=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. |archive-date=2021-01-18 |date=2020-11-25 |access-date=2021-12-06}} 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.{{cite journal|journal=Family Computer Magazine|script-title=ja:ぼくたちゲーセン野郎|language=ja|author=Satoshi Tajiri|url=https://twitter.com/chou_nosuke/status/606052702246666241|date=January 6, 1989|pages=114–115|access-date=November 29, 2015|author-link=Satoshi Tajiri}}{{cite magazine|magazine=Biweekly Famicom Journal|script-title=ja:ビデヲゲーム通信|language=ja|author=Satoshi Tajiri|url=https://twitter.com/chou_nosuke/status/612229058202505216/photo/1|date=August 1, 1986|access-date=November 29, 2015|author-link=Satoshi Tajiri}}
On April 26, 1989, Tajiri, Sugimori and Junichi Masuda started a video game development company with the same name.{{cite magazine | url=https://www.wired.com/2010/04/pokemon-creators-fanzine-fetches-high-price/ | magazine=Wired | first=Chris | last=Kohler | title=Pokémon Creators' Fanzine Fetches High Price | date=April 19, 2010 | access-date=November 16, 2010 }}{{cite web|last=Gifford|first=Kevin|date=April 7, 2008|title=COLUMN: 'Game Mag Weaseling': Just Checking In |url=http://www.gamesetwatch.com/2008/04/column_game_mag_weaseling_just.php|publisher=GameSetWatch|access-date=November 16, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080412172635/http://www.gamesetwatch.com/2008/04/column_game_mag_weaseling_just.php|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 12, 2008}} 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 {{nihongo|Pocket Monsters|ポケットモンスター|Poketto Monsutā}}{{cite web |url=http://www.gamingtarget.com/article.php?artid=6531 |title=The Pokemon Series Pokedex |date=March 22, 2007 |access-date=November 16, 2010 |last=Swider |first=Matt |website=Gaming Target }}—is published and distributed respectively by The Pokémon Company and Nintendo worldwide.
In October 2015, Game Freak acquired Koa Games, a mobile development company.{{Cite web|url=https://gamnesia.com/pokemon-developer-game-freak-has-purchased-a-mobile-game-development-compan/|title=Pokémon Developer Game Freak Has Purchased a Mobile Game Development Company|date=October 27, 2015|website=Gamnesia|last=Lamoreux|first=Ben|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 23, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210523102155/https://gamnesia.com/pokemon-developer-game-freak-has-purchased-a-mobile-game-development-compan/}} The company was subsequently merged into Game Freak on December 1, 2015.{{cite web | url=https://www.houjin-bangou.nta.go.jp/henkorireki-johoto.html?selHouzinNo=6010901003730 | title=（法人名）の情報｜国税庁法人番号公表サイト }}
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.{{cite web|url=https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/game-freak-prioritising-original-game-projects/|title=Game Freak 'prioritising' original game projects|last=Robinson |first=Andy |publisher=Video Games Chronicle |date=May 22, 2019 |access-date=June 27, 2023}} 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.{{cite web|url=https://www.videogameschronicle.com/features/interviews/game-freak-were-trying-to-create-something-more-than-pokemon/|title=Game Freak interview: 'We're trying to create something more than Pokémon'|last=Robinson |first=Andy |publisher=Video Games Chronicle|date=July 8, 2019|access-date=June 27, 2023}}
In February 2020, Game Freak relocated their headquarters to Kanda Square, an office building in Nishikichō shared with Nintendo's Tokyo branch.{{Cite web|url=https://www.siliconera.com/pokemon-developer-game-freak-office-is-moving-closer-to-nintendos-headquarters/|title=Game Freak Is Moving Closer to Nintendo's Headquarters|date=February 3, 2020|website=Siliconera|last=Sahdev|first=Ishaan|language=en|access-date=June 27, 2023}}
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.{{cite web | last=McFerran | first=Damien | title=Unreleased Yoshi's Egg Remake For Nintendo DS Breaks Cover Online | website=Time Extension | date=October 16, 2024 | url=https://www.timeextension.com/news/2024/10/unreleased-yoshis-egg-remake-for-nintendo-ds-breaks-cover-online | access-date=October 17, 2024}} 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.{{Cite news |last=Welsh |first=Oli |date=2024-10-14 |title=Pokémon developer Game Freak suffers massive data leak |url=https://www.polygon.com/news/465710/pokemon-game-freak-leak-hack |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20241014175815/https://www.polygon.com/news/465710/pokemon-game-freak-leak-hack |archive-date=2024-10-14 |access-date=2024-10-14 |work=Polygon |language=en}} Various non-canon Pokémon stories were also discovered.
Games
Notes
{{Notelist}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{Commons category}}
- {{Official website}} {{in lang|ja}}
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20121015000757/http://www.ign.com/companies/game-freak Game Freak at IGN]
{{Pokémon}}
{{Nintendo developers}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:Japanese companies established in 1989
Category:Software companies based in Tokyo
Category:Video game companies established in 1989