Shigeru Ohmori, The Pokémon Firm’s most senior recreation director, fondly recollects his first position within the early 2000s, designing maps for the Sport Boy Advance titles Ruby and Sapphire.
“After I was creating the map, which was 2D on the time, I used to be placing grass onto it the place Pokémon would seem,” he informed VGC in a Tokyo convention room, in a gleaming silver tower, which additionally serves as Pokémon’s de facto headquarters. “That feeling of Pokémon showing after I was creating the habitat was very fascinating to me, and that feeling is one thing I cherish.”
Ohmori is without doubt one of the most skilled figures at Sport Freak. The one man to have directed extra Pokémon titles than Ohmori is his mentor, co-founder Junichi Masuda. That preliminary sense of nurture is what the designer is trying to recapture – this time for gamers, slightly than box-dragging map planners – within the promising simulation spin-off, Pokémon Pokopia.
Throughout 30 years, few franchises have had as many spinoff video games as Pokémon. Nevertheless, after enjoying and talking with the event group behind Pokopia, it’s not hyperbole to say that this is without doubt one of the most promising unique Pokémon ideas in a really very long time.
Plucking concepts from among the greatest nonviolent recreation franchises of the fashionable period, from a brief hands-on session, it’s clear Pokopia has each the scope and character to enchantment to a broad vary of gamers. If it may possibly land a profitable combine and ship the depth gamers count on, there’s little motive to doubt that this received’t be one of many largest new releases of 2026.
Viva Rattata
“After I was engaged on Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, I used to be repeatedly on the lookout for new potentialities for Pokémon,” Ohmori informed VGC. “It introduced me again to after I began on Ruby and Sapphire, creating these habitats and assembly the Pokémon for the primary time. That led me to create the prototype for this recreation.”
For manufacturing, Ohmori turned to Koei Tecmo and its skilled Omega Pressure group, not too long ago recognized for Wild Hearts and Dragon Quest Builders 2. Collectively, Omega Pressure and Sport Freak brainstormed what a Pokémon simulation recreation may appear like, and the result’s an expertise that’s quite a bit like Animal Crossing, a bit like Minecraft, and quite a bit like Uncommon’s Xbox 360 basic, Viva Piñata.
In Pokopia, you play as a humanoid Ditto, stumbling round within the ruins of a once-thriving Pokémon World. However that is no random area created for Pokopia. It shortly transpires that you simply’re really within the ruins of Kanto, the setting of Pokémon’s unique journey.
Your purpose is to draw Pokémon again to Kanto by creating habitats that they want to dwell in. An early instance, after studying the Water Gun skill from a mortgage Squirtle, sees you watering lifeless grass and timber to draw a Bulbasaur. Our Ditto protagonist then learns the Leafage transfer, which lets you pull up lengthy grass and create a habitat most well-liked by a Charmander.
Not each Pokémon you meet will educate you a core transfer, however every has an assigned class that’s useful or essential for sure duties. Machop, for instance, is a builder, that means that when a builder-class Pokémon is required to complete a quest, you’ll need to befriend one.
Every Pokémon also can enable you to out in numerous methods. As soon as a Pokémon has appeared and befriended you, you may improve your stage of friendship with that Pokémon by delivering them sure gadgets, bettering their habitat, or finishing missions. The Charmander from earlier, for instance, could possibly be informed to comply with me, and once we approached an unlit campfire, he flamed it alight.
“It introduced me again to after I began on Ruby and Sapphire, creating these habitats and assembly the Pokémon for the primary time. That led me to create the prototype for this recreation.”
Some habitats can entice a number of Pokémon, ranked by rarity. These environments might be improved by including decorations like beds, chairs, tables, plates, exercise tools, and extra, that are crafted by gathering gadgets like stones and wooden, after which utilizing a workbench. Some habitat gadgets clearly correspond to a Pokémon, like an early quest that sees you renovate a habitat with a punching bag and a bench to befriend Hitmonchan. Others are extra esoteric.
As your world continues to develop, and also you meet extra Pokémon, you unlock extra terraforming skills that allow you to entry new areas, construct new gadgets, and develop your Pokedex. Serving to a Scyther will assist you to minimize down timber and bushes in a single fell swoop, opening up new routes. Hitmonchan teaches you Rock Punch, additional increasing your skill to clear particles and form the atmosphere.
As is typical for the builder style, all the pieces gamers destroy or harvest can then be utilized in one other context. Blocks can be utilized on your Minecraft-like mega builds. Meals can be utilized to draw different Pokémon. The entire recreation’s mechanics are cleverly linked, guiding the participant from second to second.
Look who’s speaking
In a continuation from the comedic incidental NPC dialogue from Pokémon Legends Z-A that was extensively shared throughout the web following the sport’s launch, Pokopia retains up the witty writing.
“For Pokopia, as you noticed, there aren’t any trainers,” Ohmori informed VGC. “I assumed quite a bit about how Pokémon talk with one another. What are they considering? How are they feeling? That is one thing we don’t get to see within the mainline titles as a result of in these video games, there are trainers.”
Whereas exploring Kanto, you’ll generally discover habitat hints that may inform the participant which gadgets to mix to draw a close-by Pokémon. One such trace requested us to discover a plate, a desk, and a few meals. Combining this stuff triggered Gulpin to seem.
One other wished a set of candles and an providing by a grave with a purpose to entice Litwick. These hints are sometimes tied to preestablished Pokémon lore, comparable to Pokedex descriptions, and even nods to the Pokémon anime. Within the time we performed, we seen numerous winks to the collection’ historical past that may most likely fly over the heads of younger followers, however are rewarding for individuals who’ve been a fan for a very long time.
These habitat hints additionally serve a story goal as they shine mild on the character of every Pokémon, one thing that’s been a purpose of the sport because it began improvement.
“It’s one in every of my favorite options,” Pokopia’s chief director, Koei Tecmo’s Takuto Edagawa, informed VGC. “Placing any merchandise or piece of furnishings on the planet, the Pokémon will by some means react to the furnishings. That is very intentional, and I actually like the way it got here out. Something that the Pokémon does was fastidiously curated on the lore that already existed, to make sure we didn’t break any of the previous Pokémon canon.”
Artwork director Marina Ayano added, “I’ve been working with Sport Freak and Koei Tecmo on ‘Find out how to Pokémon really assume’, so for instance, Alakazam has a bit of extra cleverness, so they could assume in a different way from different Pokémon, like a small Pokémon who could also be very simple-minded. So I discovered quite a bit from Sport Freak in regards to the Pokémon world they created, and quite a bit in regards to the Pokémon World… It’s a group effort!”
Discovering new habitats and attracting Pokémon to them can also be the way you fill out the sport’s Pokedex. Components like filling the Pokedex are a method Pokopia retains the texture of a standard Pokémon recreation, however in a brand new context. Discovering new contexts, genres, and conditions that might work with the Pokémon franchise is one thing that Ohmori tells us he’s been fascinated with for a very long time.
“As you recognize, throughout the collection, there are many potentialities on the way you purchase Pokémon,” Ohmori defined. “However there are additionally a lot of alternative ways to get pleasure from Pokémon, not simply by battling. I personally assume that, and the followers do too.”
The Blast(oise) of Us
Regardless of being set in Kanto, Pokopia options Pokémon from throughout each Pokémon era. We didn’t get a way of what number of Pokémon will seem within the recreation, however the recreation’s unique trailer confirmed a number of stage 1 or stage 2 advanced Pokémon, that means gamers will probably encounter, or evolve, the vast majority of the fan favourites.
As our demo continued, Professor Tangrowth, who the participant helps construct Kanto, introduced us to the ruins of a Pokémon Centre in the course of a city. Nevertheless, it’s not simply any city. In an extra nod to the sport rewarding long-term followers who listen, it’s slowly revealed (or shortly in case you’re eagle-eyed sufficient), that the sport begins in Fuschia Metropolis.
The Pokémon Centre offers us with the primary have a look at Pokopia’s bigger challenges and rewards. These present long-term objectives and advance the story. Some are easy, like gathering a sure variety of logs or talking to a sure variety of Pokémon; others are extra in-depth. Like different life-simulation video games, Pokopia affords methods to play in brief bursts, or in longer play periods, and the sport’s director mentioned this was a deliberate design alternative.
“I assumed quite a bit about how Pokémon talk with one another. What are they considering? How are they feeling? That is one thing we don’t get to see within the mainline titles”
“So for this recreation, I’ve been talking to Mr Ohmori to debate how we wish followers to get pleasure from it, and the way they will play it in their very own manner,” Edagawa informed us. “As a baseline, informal gamers can get pleasure from nevertheless they need, perhaps little by little, however whoever needs to do a deep dive can proceed to play as a lot as they need. The sport doesn’t pressure you to attend, there’s no “wait an entire day to proceed to play.”
Whereas some constructing aims would require the participant to return after a brief time period, Pokopia appears to largely keep away from the time-gated mechanics which have annoyed gamers, comparable to these discovered within the Animal Crossing franchise.
Pokopia’s loop shortly turns into befriending new Pokémon to refill your Pokedex and assist construct new habitats. This completes aims again on the Pokémon Centre, which supplies the participant extra forex to spend on new gadgets for habitats or habitat hints. Concurrently, gamers can transfer, redesign, or develop habitats to design the brand new Kanto in any manner they’d like.
Within the brief time we have been in a position to play, this mix of gameplay loops felt genuinely partaking. An hour with the sport disappeared in a flash. The rhythm of assembly a brand new Pokémon, which might assist you to entry a brand new a part of the map, which might then allow you to full a problem, which might then allow you to meet a brand new Pokémon, grew to become hypnotic.
The exploration factor additionally felt rewarding. We discovered new costumes for Ditto that reference basic characters within the collection. There are new supplies and biomes to discover, in addition to areas gated by giant doorways. These appear to be progress gates which can be locked by finishing story missions, however our demo didn’t get that far.
Regardless of this, you’re hardly locked in place. As quickly as you will have a couple of motion skills, you can begin smashing your manner by means of the terrain and discover as you please. We discovered a posh cave system hidden on the high of town, and after fastidiously inserting blocks, we crossed a hilltop into a completely completely different biome, probably teeming with Pokémon to satisfy.
You educate me, and I’ll educate you
As you’d count on, Pokopia’s artwork model is heat and pleasant. Someplace between the Let’s Go Pikachu and Eevee video games and the storybook model of Pokémon Sleep, the colors are vibrant, gentle, and alluring. Pokémon characters look nice and emotive, however crucially, the world feels cohesive, regardless of the gameplay needing to obviously undertaking the capabilities of every factor of the world.
There’s nearly a toy-box-like high quality to the way in which the sport is introduced. It’s not not like spilling all of your Tomy Pokémon figures out in your childhood bed room ground and creating little tales for them. It matches completely for the style.
“Once we first created the prototype, I already had a picture of what sort of artwork model I wished, and after I was engaged on the prototype, I additionally created a video of the artwork model I used to be on the lookout for, so, for instance, Ditto reworking right into a human,” Ohmori mentioned.
“As you noticed in Nintendo Direct, the primary reveal trailer is precisely what I created, after which we began growing the sport, we confirmed the video to Koei Tecmo, they usually added some originality, extra character, and made this wonderful outcome.”
The sport’s artwork director, Marina Ayano, a lifelong fan, spoke passionately in regards to the origins of Pokopia’s visible path.
“I obtained the video from Sport Freak, and I additionally obtained a lookdev to see what sort of recreation they have been on the lookout for,” she mentioned. “As soon as I had that, I began fascinated with all of the completely different mechanics. As a part of the method, Sport Freak has an artwork director and a sound director, they usually work on key phrases to create the sport. The key phrases for Pokopia have been ‘chill’ and ‘pop’.
“So clearly chill is sluggish and comfy, and pop is the common cuteness, which I discovered very straightforward to affiliate with Pokémon.”
Chill is correct. Pokopia is a recreation that you can simply as simply spend an hour reducing down timber or rearranging tiles as you can fulfilling requests and finishing your Pokedex. “For instance, Ditto, the protagonist, has a really massive head (chuckles), so it’s a bit of bit deformed, nevertheless it has the softness of the character,” Ayano informed us.
Ditto transforms right into a humanoid kind but additionally into a number of fan-favourite Pokémon. Later within the recreation, gamers will be capable of learn to surf by reworking right into a Lapras or fly by reworking right into a Dragonite. Every Ditto-fied model of an iconic Pokémon contains Ditto’s trademark thousand-yard stare and completely satisfied smile.
Whereas we didn’t encounter them in our demo, earlier trailers for Pokopia have additionally revealed that a number of variations of Pokémon will debut within the recreation. Up to now, we’ve seen Peakychu, which seems to be a ghost-type variant of the franchise mascot, Mosslax, a Snorlax that’s been asleep for thus lengthy that moss has coated its physique, and Smearguru, a variation of Smeargle whose physique is roofed in paint.
How they’ll issue into the sport and whether or not they’ll ever seem in different Pokémon titles are unknown, however the inclusion of brand-new variants, particularly one as vital as Peakychu, means that Sport Freak has a variety of confidence in Pokopeia and its improvement associate.
We’ve constructed a group, and we’ve been coaching all day lengthy
On this sense, Pokopia is an nearly distinctive Pokémon spinoff as a result of quantity of involvement from Sport Freak, one thing that isn’t frequent for the non-mainline video games.
Palms-On with multiplayer
VGC additionally had an opportunity to attempt Pokopia’s multiplayer element. On this demo, gamers labored collectively to rebuild a Pokémon Centre. To do that, we needed to acquire the right gadgets, after which befriend sure Pokémon to do the heavy lifting.
The duty known as for a builder-class Pokémon, which any of the group may befriend, after which set them on the duty of rebuilding the Pokémon Centre.
The multiplayer portion looks like it is going to be a giant hit with youthful followers, particularly in terms of the constructing facets, frequent to video games like Minecraft. It’s straightforward to image followers spending their time curating their very own Pokémon island with their mates, although it doesn’t appear to be there’s an enormous problem for older gamers.
Pokopia seems to assist large-scale multiplayer worlds, with many Pokémon thriving in them alongside the gamers, so count on big creations to pop up throughout the web as soon as followers get their arms on the ultimate recreation.
Kanako Murata, a veteran producer from The Pokémon Firm who’s labored throughout a number of movie, TV, and online game initiatives, informed VGC that the principle distinction for this spin-off is that, “The Pokémon Firm, Sport Freak, and Koei Tecmo are co-developing [the game].” She added, “As a result of we set to work along with Koei Tecmo and use their expertise on different life simulation video games, all the pieces got here collectively.”
Earlier than Pokopia, Koei Tecmo labored with Sq. Enix on Dragon Quest Builders 2, one other co-developed life simulation title. Takuto Edagawa served as a director on that title, in addition to the director of 2023’s Wild Hearts.
Ohmori mentioned that the sport introduced a “completely different alternative” for the studio, nevertheless, regardless of its expertise. “For Sport Freak, that they had not created one thing straight for the spin-offs. We wished to create a unique sort of recreation that’s not an RPG. That entire considered not making an RPG was a problem. Even when it’s a spinoff, as a result of Sport Freak goes to be within the co-development group, it was their accountability to indicate off the distinctiveness of Pokémon.”
Each representatives from Koei Tecmo mentioned engaged on the Pokémon franchise was a dream come true, however that in addition they felt assured they might introduce distinctive concepts to the collection.
Edagawa informed us he’s been enjoying the video games from the start. “The distinctive factor we’re bringing to Pokémon is that in different video games, you don’t get to create your personal world and fill it with Pokémon that you simply get to dwell with.”
Ayano concurred. “I performed it since Purple and Inexperienced. Since I began my profession, it was a dream to work on one thing with Pokémon, so this was a dream come true,” she mentioned.
If profitable, may Pokopia mark the start of Sport Freak engaged on extra titles in collaboration with different studios? We requested Ohmori about how the collaboration with Koei Tecmo took place.
“So after I was fascinated with creating this recreation as a prototype, I didn’t consider any partnerships at first. I didn’t even take into consideration a life simulation recreation, or understand it was going to be a life simulation recreation. I used to be making an attempt to consider methods I may present a unique aspect of Pokémon. I wished to indicate the distinctive personalities of the Pokémon and their completely different traits. As I used to be fascinated with it and dealing on it, it naturally led to changing into a life simulation recreation.
“After I was engaged on the prototype, I introduced it to The Pokémon Firm, and I figured it is perhaps onerous to work on it solely with The Pokémon Firm and Sport Freak. The Pokémon Firm then steered ‘Why don’t we work with Koei Tecmo?” I used to be delighted. I assumed this was an important firm we may work with.”
It’s an entire new world we dwell in
Pokopia is being launched throughout Pokémon’s most necessary 12 months since 1996. Amidst celebrations and collaborations from throughout popular culture, video video games, sport, and extra, Pokémon goes to be all over the place this 12 months.
For essentially the most hardcore followers, nevertheless, ideas all the time flip to the franchise’s future. What is going to occur with the forthcoming tenth era of the collection? How will the transfer to video games made totally for the Nintendo Change 2 impression frequent latest complaints from followers? Will we ever see the basic RPGs launched for contemporary {hardware}?
Till we have now these solutions, Pokopia looks like an thrilling evolution for the franchise. Its allure and friendliness seem to disguise a depth that may probably solely reveal itself after dozens of hours, and its dedication to shining a light-weight on the personalities of Pokémon may flip a couple of underappreciated creatures right into a coach’s new favorite.
“I used to be making an attempt to consider methods I may present a unique aspect of Pokémon. I wished to indicate the distinctive personalities of the Pokémon and their completely different traits.”
In the direction of the top of our time with Ohmori, he mirrored on that concentrate on the character of Pokémon in Pokopia, in addition to the shift away from battling. We requested if that’s one thing he’s fascinated with as Pokémon enters its third decade.
“After I’ve labored beforehand on a Pokémon undertaking, sure, battles have been the main target,” Ohmori mentioned. “However there’s additionally been different aspect content material just like the Secret Bases (Ruby and Sapphire) and The Grand Underground (Diamond and Pearl). I consider a variety of the followers get pleasure from this stuff as effectively. So, I want to scale the Pokémon video games normally, apart from battling. I’ll search new potentialities to scale them.”
It’s becoming that Ohmori ought to point out the Secret Base mechanic, which debuted in his very first Pokémon title. That was the primary time Sport Freak had experimented with letting gamers design their very own little nook of the Pokémon world, simply as Ohmori was taking his first steps into it.
Over 20 years later, Ohmori is giving followers a complete area to play with.
Pokémon Pokopia might be launched on March 5 for Nintendo Change 2.
