Game Freak conceived Pokémon Pokopia’s original habitat-building idea.
The concept came from Shigeru Ohmori, who wanted to explore how much fans might enjoy cultivating their own Pokémon habitats. That idea developed into a game about restoring environments, creating structures, and helping Pokémon live together in a rebuilt world.
Game Freak then partnered with Omega Force, a Koei Tecmo studio with relevant sandbox-game experience. The partnership allowed the project to combine Game Freak’s Pokémon expertise with Omega Force’s experience in building and large-scale interactive spaces.
The concept is distinct from the game’s final publishing arrangements. Nintendo and The Pokémon Company published Pokopia, but Game Freak is the studio associated with the original habitat-cultivation idea. The result became a social simulation rather than another conventional battle-centered Pokémon adventure.