Which Pokémon game series inspired Pokémon Pokopia’s habitat-creation concept through Shigeru Ohmori’s earlier work?

Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire inspired Pokémon Pokopia’s habitat-creation concept through Shigeru Ohmori’s earlier work.

Before helping conceive Pokopia, Shigeru Ohmori worked as a map designer on Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire. Reflecting on that experience led him to consider how enjoyable it might be for players to create their own Pokémon habitats.

That idea became a foundation for Pokopia. In the finished game, players build and arrange environmental features to attract Pokémon, then help those Pokémon live in a growing community. The result extends the map-design role into a more interactive form of world creation.

The reference is easy to confuse with another Pokémon connection: Ohmori later directed Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. However, Ruby and Sapphire are the games specifically tied to the original habitat-building inspiration.