Which Pokémon spin-off first had a paid release developed by Game Freak?

Pokémon Pokopia is the first Pokémon spin-off with a paid release developed by Game Freak.

Pokopia is a full-price, non-freemium spin-off co-developed by Game Freak and Koei Tecmo’s Omega Force. Its development partnership reflected Game Freak’s desire to work with a studio experienced in sandbox games, especially after Omega Force’s work on Dragon Quest Builders 2.

The distinction is about both payment model and development history. Pokémon Quest was an earlier Game Freak-developed spin-off, but it was a freemium title rather than a paid release. Pokopia therefore occupies a different place in the series’ production history.

Pokopia is also not the first Pokémon game associated with Koei Tecmo overall. Pokémon Conquest was developed by Koei Tecmo 14 years earlier, but Pokopia is noted as the first Pokémon game since Conquest to be developed by that company. These overlapping milestones make the wording important: the specific first is a paid, Game Freak-developed spin-off.