Who conceived Pokémon Pokopia after imagining player-built Pokémon habitats?

Shigeru Ohmori conceived Pokémon Pokopia after imagining player-built Pokémon habitats.

Ohmori, a longtime Pokémon director and designer, developed the initial idea that players would enjoy cultivating habitats for Pokémon. That concept became the foundation for Pokopia’s emphasis on construction, environmental restoration, and creating places where Pokémon can live.

The idea represented a change from the usual Pokémon formula. Rather than asking players mainly to train teams and defeat opponents, Pokopia asks them to improve a damaged world and support the Pokémon population. The project eventually brought Game Freak together with Omega Force to build a larger sandbox-style experience.

Ohmori is sometimes confused with other major Pokémon figures, including series creator Satoshi Tajiri, former producer Junichi Masuda, and The Pokémon Company president Tsunekazu Ishihara. Those people have important Pokémon credits, but the habitat-focused concept for Pokopia is attributed to Shigeru Ohmori.