Which game inspired Omega Force’s sandbox experience while developing Pokémon Pokopia?

Dragon Quest Builders 2 inspired Omega Force’s sandbox experience while developing Pokémon Pokopia.

Game Freak partnered with Koei Tecmo’s Omega Force because Omega Force had experience with sandbox-style design. The collaboration helped bring building and environmental creation into a Pokémon setting.

The development connection is specifically associated with Dragon Quest Builders 2. Critics later compared Pokopia’s finished blend of building, collecting, and community life with games such as Minecraft, Viva Piñata, and Animal Crossing, but those comparisons describe the final experience rather than the key development precedent.

Shigeru Ohmori conceived the project while thinking about how appealing it would be for players to cultivate their own Pokémon habitats. Omega Force director Takuto Edagawa served as chief director alongside Ohmori’s concept and senior-director role.