Which Pokémon director originally conceived Pokémon Pokopia?

Shigeru Ohmori originally conceived Pokémon Pokopia.

Ohmori developed the idea while working on Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. He reflected on his earlier role as a map designer on Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire and considered how appealing it could be for players to create their own Pokémon habitats. That idea became the foundation for Pokopia’s focus on shaping environments rather than simply traversing a fixed world.

Ohmori served as the game’s concept and senior director. His role connected the original creative idea with the project’s broader direction, while Omega Force contributed experience with sandbox-style development. The resulting game combines Pokémon’s characters and world-building with systems for crafting, construction, and habitat management.

Ohmori is sometimes confused with other important Pokémon creators. Ken Sugimori is a major illustrator and designer associated with the franchise, Junichi Masuda is a longtime developer and composer, and Satoshi Tajiri founded Game Freak. However, the person credited with conceiving Pokopia was Shigeru Ohmori.