Editing Game Freak (section)

==History==
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[File:Game Freak magazine.jpg|thumb|upright=1|left|The covers of several issues of ''Game Freak'' magazine]] -->

Predating the video game company, ''Game Freak'' was a self-published [[Video game journalism|video game magazine]] created by [[Satoshi Tajiri]] and [[Ken Sugimori]] in the 1980s. The first issue was published in 1983 by Tajiri.<ref>{{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 }}</ref> Sugimori would join the magazine at a later date as an illustrator after finding the magazine in a shop and liking it.<ref>{{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}}</ref> Tajiri also used "Game Freak" as his pen name when he wrote as a freelance writer to publications such as ''Family Computer Magazine'' and ''[[Famitsu|Famicom Tsūshin]]''.<ref name=famimaga198901>{{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}}</ref><ref name=famitsu198604>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Famitsu|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}}</ref>

On April 26, 1989, Tajiri, Sugimori and [[Junichi Masuda]] started a video game development company with the same name.<ref>{{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 }}</ref><ref>{{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}}</ref> 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 (video game series)|Pokémon]]''—the [[Romanization of Japanese|romanized]] [[portmanteau]] of the Japanese brand {{nihongo|''Pocket Monsters''|ポケットモンスター|Poketto Monsutā}}<ref name=GTPokedex>{{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 }}</ref>—is published and distributed respectively by [[The Pokémon Company]] and [[Nintendo]] worldwide.

In October 2015, Game Freak acquired Koa Games, a mobile development company.<ref>{{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/}}</ref> The company was subsequently merged into Game Freak on December 1, 2015.<ref>{{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 }}</ref>

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.<ref>{{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}}</ref> 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]]''.<ref>{{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}}</ref>

In February 2020, Game Freak relocated their headquarters to Kanda Square, an office building in [[Nishikichō]] shared with Nintendo's Tokyo branch.<ref>{{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}}</ref>

In October 2024, nearly a terabyte of data from Game Freak's [[server (computing)|servers]] was stolen. Development [[software build|builds]], [[source code]], and test [[sprite (computer graphics)|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 (video game)|Yoshi]]''.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{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}}</ref> 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.<ref name=":0" /> They also stated that many employees' [[Doxing|personal information]] had been leaked.<ref name=":0">{{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}}</ref> Various non-canon ''Pokémon'' stories were also discovered.