In a rather lengthy interview published by Famitsu today (via Nintendo Everything), key developers behind the upcoming Pokémon Pokopia were asked a number of questions regarding the game’s development, inspirations, and art style, among others. On hand were Game Freak’s Shigeru Omori (Director), The Pokémon Company’s Kanako Murata (Development and Production Division), and Koei Tecmo’s Takuto Edakawa (Chief Director) and Marina Ayano (Art Director), each with different insight into their respective fields. One of the more insightful questions was where Pokopia got its name, with Omori explained was a mixture of a Spanish phrase with Japanese onomatopoeia.
“From the beginning, we wanted to create a relaxed title, rather than a strict title like ‘Pokémon XX,’” Omori explains. “We searched for an expression that would convey the newness that would make children want to play and the slow life that is the hallmark of this game, and we came up with the phrase ‘poco a poco (little by little, gradually).’ The feeling of the word also matches the image of the gameplay of placing blocks one after another, and from there we arranged it to sound more like Pokémon, and it became ‘Poko a Pokémon.’” Poko a Pokémon is the Japanese title, for those unsure.
As for how Game Freak came upon a sandbox building title, it seems the creation of Pokopia stemmed from Omori’s experiences creating new worlds for each Pokémon game. He wanted to share that joy with fans, allowing them to create their own Pokémon worlds to explore. “I’ve been making Pokémon RPGs for a long time,” Omori explains, “but I was always searching for a game that could express the individuality of Pokémon in a different way to RPGs.” This then branched off into creating towns, which necessitated bringing in an outside developer as Game Freak had no prior experience in that field.
Edakawa added, “I was really happy because I never thought I’d be able to create a dream title where you can ‘build a town and live with Pokémon.’ What’s more, the first preview trailer I was shown was so incredibly well-made that I thought, ‘It’s already done,’ and I was blown away. In fact, the trailer I was shown back then was used exactly as it was in the video that was first released at Nintendo Direct.”
The rest of the interview goes into more specifics about art direction, gameplay mechanics, and hopes for fans with Pokopia. It’s an interesting read, giving great insight into this unique spin-off game. Make sure to read it if you’re into the background of how games get made.
Pokémon Pokopia release date
Pokémon Pokopia hits Switch 2 on March 5th, 2026.
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Written by Peter Glagowski
Peter has been a freelance gaming and film critic for over seven years. His passion for Nintendo is only matched by the size of his collection.
