Which earlier Pokémon games inspired Shigeru Ohmori’s idea for Pokémon Pokopia’s habitats?

Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire inspired Shigeru Ohmori’s idea for Pokémon Pokopia’s habitats.

Ohmori reflected on his earliest work in the Pokémon series while thinking about new directions for the franchise. He had worked as a map designer on Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire, and that experience contributed to the idea that fans might enjoy creating their own Pokémon habitats.

Pokopia turns that idea into the foundation of its gameplay. Players place terrain, objects, and furniture to form habitats that attract particular Pokémon. As the environment improves, more Pokémon appear, and the player can continue developing the world around them.

The inspiration is about habitat creation and map design, not a direct story continuation from Hoenn. Ruby and Sapphire are Hoenn-region role-playing games, whereas Pokopia takes place in a post-apocalyptic version of Kanto and includes Pokémon drawn from Generations I through IX.