There's little doubt in this day and age that Pokémon is a household name. Even if you aren't playing the games, there's a massive amount of merchandise and media bearing the brand's name. There are the animated shows and movies, the massively-popular trading card game, and a mountain of merchandise that would make other franchises blush. The overwhelming success of the franchise is palpable, and it can be funny to think that a small team of friends developed the original games that started it all as a passion project.

Beginning as a gaming magazine before becoming a development company, Game Freak was headed by Satoshi Tajiri and Ken Sugimori alongside designer Junichi Masuda. With a team of only four programmers, Game Freak's initial catalog of games failed to reach any commercial or critical acclaim in Japan. This began to change when Tajiri envisioned a game reflecting a love of nature and exploration. Instead of encountering traditional animals and insects, players would capture, trade, and battle various "Pocket Monsters" and register them in a high-tech encyclopedia. Nintendo, who had published many of Game Freak's games to that point, was originally hesitant about the concept. However, game director Shigeru Miyamoto saw great potential in the concept and convinced Nintendo to give Game Freak a chance. Six years later, Pokémon: Red and Green versions hit Japanese markets.

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Image via Game Freak

Tajiri hadn't expected what came next by a long shot. Pokémon wasn't originally expected to perform particularly well because of its platform. The original Game Boy was considered to be on its last legs, and sales for its various titles were dipping quite a bit. Despite this, the first two Pokémon titles proved to be tremendous hits, climbing to the top of Japan's charts. In Nintendo's eyes, they'd caught lightning in a bottle, and the only logical response was to capitalize on Pokémon's success as quickly as possible. Shortly after Red and Green topped the sales charts, Nintendo tasked Game Freak with several additional projects:

  • An improved version of Pokémon Red and Green that cleaned up its sprite art and bugs. This would eventually become Pokémon Blue.
  • International language translations for Pokémon Red and Blue.
  • Compatibility between the Game Boy Pokémon titles and the upcoming Pokémon Stadium for the Nintendo 64.
  • The Pokémon sequels for Game Boy Color that were already in early development stages by Game Freak; these titles would later become Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal.

Suffice to say that this would be a big undertaking for even a larger game development studio. Game Freak had released the initial series of titles by the skin of its teeth. The four programmers who wrote the games' code were considerably unstructured, making it nearly impossible for other programmers to mirror, so Nintendo's coders' hands were tied. Game Freak would have to undertake all of their Pokémon projects concurrently, which was simply too much to ask from a small developer. The fledgling company was threatening to crumble from pressure after its first major success. However, all wasn't lost, as a veritable prodigy extended his talents to prevent the coming disaster.

Satoru Iwata began as a programmer for HAL Laboratory, a fellow development studio that had created landmark Nintendo IPs like Kirby, Balloon Fight, and Mother. By the time he had reached out to Game Freak, Iwata's talents had seen him rise to the position of president of HAL, and he vehemently believed in Pokémon's long-term success. Instead of getting HAL Laboratory involved directly, Iwata offered to help with Game Freak's Pokémon projects personally. Iwata loved tinkering, and believed that shoring up Pokémon's issues would be a great personal challenge for him. Who was Game Freak to refuse help? They accepted, and sent copies of their work to Iwata to be analyzed.

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Image via Nintendo

As deadlines approached, Game Freak hustled diligently to complete their projects in time. Meanwhile, Iwata tinkered and took notes, slowly addressing bugs and solving compatibility issues. When Nintendo checked in with the gaming phenom, they were absolutely astonished at his progress. The publishers at Nintendo had originally considered giving the localization work to another developer to ease pressure on Game Freak, but Iwata had blown the doors off. On his own, Iwata had reorganized and restructured Pokémon Red and Green, distributing his notes so that other developers could finish up what translation work was left. He'd also solved the compatibility issues between Pokémon Red and Green and Pokémon Stadium, completely overhauling the combat system to fit N64 hardware in one week. Shigeki Morimoto, a programmer at Game Freak, allegedly responded in astonishment, "What kind of company president is this?"

The final piece of the puzzle was Pokémon Gold and Silver, which were incredibly ambitious due to what Game Freak wanted to include. Gold and Silver featured day/night cycles, an internal clock that kept track of the time, and Daylight Savings Time, Pokémon being able to hold items. There was also the Pokégear, which allowed players to use a cell phone, access their map, and listen to various radio stations. On top of all of this, Gold and Silver also introduced 100 new species of Pokémon to coexist alongside the original 151. Still feeling the heat to complete the games and meet quality standards, Game Freak looked to Iwata once again, and he didn't disappoint.

Because of all the new implementations Gold and Silver were making, available memory on the Game Boy Color cartridge was at a premium. Making note of the problem, Iwata developed a way to compress the games' assets, allowing Game Freak to continue developing additional features and make Pokémon Gold and Silver the best games they could be. One of the most visible results of this in-game is the Kanto region. This location was the original region where the original Pokémon games took place, and Iwata's compression system allowed Game Freak to include it as an entire new region to explore after completing Gold and Silver's Johto region. This led players to re-experience the region from the first generation of Pokémon games in full color, and they could even complete their adventures in the region with a battle against the Pokémon League Champion, the player character from the original games.

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Image via Nintendo

Thanks to the efforts of Satoru Iwata and Game Freak, Pokémon reached international markets and blew past any and all expectations. Multiple Pokémon titles are now listed as some of the greatest video games ever made, and their success has birthed a media and merchandising empire that spans the globe. The animated series is still going to this day, new Pokémon games were just announced for the Nintendo Switch, and all the while generations were brought together worldwide through the mobile game Pokémon GO. If Game Freak had buckled under pressure and Iwata hadn't offered a hand, none of this monumental longevity may have been possible. He may not have stood to gain personally from his exploits, but Iwata had been essential to the franchise's survival.

Due to his incredible track record working on games like Pokémon, Earthbound, and Super Smash Bros., Nintendo hired Iwata as the head of its corporate planning division. Two years later, he would become president of Nintendo in its entirety, leading to the company reaching record profits in 2009 and cementing Iwata as one of the greatest CEOs in the gaming industry. His face became synonymous with that of Nintendo alongside Shigeru Miyamoto, and fans praised Iwata just as much as their favorite Nintendo games in many instances.

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In 2014, a tumor was discovered in Iwata's bile duct during a routine health checkup. The tumor was removed, and Iwata quickly returned to work in the same year, a true sign of his dedication. Tragically, the tumor resurfaced in 2015, and Iwata would pass away from complications of bile duct cancer on July 11. The loss of such a monolith of the industry resulted in a worldwide outpouring of love and tribute from fans, as well as game developers, publishers, and the media. Nintendo of America took a day of silence from social media in Iwata's honor, and generations of gamers mourned the loss of a man who truly put players before profits.

To this day, Satoru Iwata's mark on gaming is indelible. Any time you boot up a Pokémon game, watch Nintendo Direct, or look to the mobile space's growing collection of Nintendo games, it's worth remembering just how important Iwata was to all of it. Saving the Pokémon series from falling apart early on was simply one step in a life filled to the brim with accomplishments. Even if you're not a fan of Nintendo, the inspiration that Iwata instilled in game creators worldwide is evident, from Neil Druckmann to Hideki Kamiya, to Notch and Warren Spector. One man's passion for video games saved many memorable franchises and made the gaming world a brighter place.