Which Pokémon game director conceived the idea for Pokémon Pokopia?

Shigeru Ohmori conceived the idea for Pokémon Pokopia.

Ohmori developed the concept while thinking about new directions for the Pokémon series. His earlier work included map design on Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire, and that experience helped inspire the idea that players might enjoy creating and shaping Pokémon habitats themselves.

He later served as the concept and senior director of Pokopia. The project grew from a question about how Pokémon environments could become something players actively cultivate, rather than places they merely pass through during an adventure.

Ohmori is also associated with the development of Pokémon Sun and Moon and with directing Pokémon Sword and Shield and Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. That background can lead to confusion with Junichi Masuda, another major Pokémon developer, but Masuda was not the person credited with conceiving Pokopia's central idea.