On the 14th, Game Freak released the early development pitch, an unreleased prototype PV, and the origin stories of special Pokémon for 'Pokémon Pokopia' (Japanese title: 'ぽこ あ ポケモン') via their official YouTube channel's behind-the-scenes segment, 'Game Freak Secret Base.'

The first thing that catches the eye in the video is the early development proposal. The title on the first page, spread out before the camera, reads "The World of Gentle Pokémon." Below it, the text describes a world without humans, a world without stories or battles, a place where players can play at their own pace as Pokémon talk and live their lives, and a premise where the protagonist—born as a new Pokémon—builds a village and a region for Pokémon in an empty land. It was, in effect, a declaration to exclude "battles" from the very first page, a bold move for a series built on 30 years of battling and collecting. Shigeru Ohmori, the senior director in charge of the concept, revealed that while "there were quite a few opinions suggesting we include battles," he stayed the course, driven by the desire to "create a gentle world for Pokémon."

The project was solidified into a game format through an internal PV created during the early development phase. The PV, unveiled for the first time in the video, begins with a moss-covered red computer in a dark forest being spotlighted, followed by the protagonist, Metamon, being transmitted to the scene. The footage shows the human child form of Metamon using technology to create grass, using Rock Smash learned from Machoke to break boulders, and gathering wood and stone to craft benches and streetlights—the core mechanics of the final product were already in place at this stage. A dialogue box also appears where Diglett asks, "Yo! Metamon! You looking for me?" The director explained that this video was created to establish the game's direction, noting, "This is where the game's worldview was defined."

The designs for the special Pokémon also began around this time, starting with the professor character, Tangrowth (Dr. Tangrowth in the Korean version). The director explained that Tangrowth was the first design created, but they struggled with the idea that "just changing it to a regular Tangrowth wouldn't be much of a change." To address this, they incorporated the concept of the passage of time into its appearance. The revealed concept art includes detailed depictions such as glasses and a staff.

Other special Pokémon were derived in the same way. The pure white Pikachu was born from the idea that it "used so much electricity that it short-circuited," while the moss-covered Snorlax came from the imagination of "what would happen if it never moved." In essence, they embedded the game's premise—a world where a long time has passed—directly into the appearance of the Pokémon.

Concept art for Lapras and Dragonite, which the protagonist Metamon transforms into, was also revealed. Their slightly awkward appearance, retaining Metamon's face, reflects the design choice that "this Metamon is not very skilled at transformation."

'Pokémon Pokopia' is a life simulator game co-developed by Game Freak and Koei Tecmo, released on March 5 for the Nintendo Switch 2. The full behind-the-scenes video covering the initial pitch and prototype gameplay can be viewed on the same channel.