Pokémon Pokopia Features One of Omega Force’s Biggest Development Teams Ever

Pokémon Pokopia, the upcoming sandbox life sim for Nintendo Switch 2, is the result of a major collaboration between Game Freak and Koei Tecmo’s Omega Force division and it turns out the team behind it is one of the largest Omega Force has ever put together for a single project.

The game’s core concept actually traces back to a surprisingly small moment. Senior director Shigeru Ohmori came up with the idea after reflecting on his experience placing grass on the maps of Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire. From there, he developed a prototype and a promotional video that would eventually serve as the foundation for everything that followed, including that first trailer shown at last September’s Nintendo Direct.

It was that same prototype and video that caught Omega Force’s attention. Producer Kanako Murata said the decision to bring Koei Tecmo on board came after the team reviewed Ohmori’s early materials. Director Takuto Edagawa added that the materials painted such a clear picture of what the game was trying to be that Omega Force felt confident they could contribute and agreed to collaborate with Game Freak.

Edagawa and art director Marina Ayano both came from the Dragon Quest 2 team, bringing their background in sandbox life sims and crafting games to the project, a fitting match given Pokopia’s direction. According to a Famitsu report, several other Dragon Quest 2 developers also joined the effort for the same reason.

While Edagawa did not share the exact number of Omega Force staff involved, he confirmed it was among the largest teams the division has assembled for any title. Before diving into full development, both studios spent three to four months aligning on the game’s vision together working through core ideas and even deeper questions, like how and why a Pokémon builds trust with others.

Edagawa and Ayano, despite never having worked on the Pokémon franchise before, said they are proud of what the team has created and feel confident delivering it to Pokémon fans. Pokémon Pokopia launches on March 5 for Nintendo Switch 2.

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