This year is already exciting for Pokemon fans with the upcoming release of Pokemon Legends: Z-A, as well as Pokemon Champions and Pokemon Friends. But shortly ahead of the September 12th Nintendo Direct, rumors started swirling about a new console spinoff game in the Pokemon franchise. Many hoped to see the return of beloved spinoff series like Pokemon Stadium or Pokken Tournament. But instead, The Pokemon Company is bringing us an entirely new Pokemon spinoff, and it’s not what anyone expected.
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Long have Pokemon fans been hoping for a cozy, farming sim-style Pokemon spinoff for a while. Something like an Animal Crossing meets Pokemon hybrid. And now, The Pokemon Company is bringing us its own spin on that concept with Pokemon Pokopia, which gives off some serious Minecraft and Animal Crossing vibes. And this new cozy Pokemon spin stars none other than… human Ditto? Yes, really.
Ditto Becomes Human in Pokemon Pokopia Console Spinoff
Today, Pokemon fans got our first look at the star of the brand-new Pokemon spinoff. Beloved transforming Pokemon Ditto has done something new and transformed itself into… a human. And it’s this human Ditto that players will portray as they create their own world in this Minecraft-esque land full of Pokemon to meet and landscapes to transform. You can get a first look at the slightly terrifying Human Ditto in the official Pokopia announcement trailer:
The gameplay looks to be pretty standard farming sim fare. Players will be able to grow various plants, decorate and transform the landscape, and build homes for their Pokemon friends. The game also features a crafting bench and plenty of wild Pokemon, who we’ll presumably be able to befriend as we explore.
In many ways, this game looks poised to deliver the cozy Pokemon game fans have been asking for. We’ll get to hang out with Pokemon, build them homes, and generally vibe without battling as a driving force. And having the Transform Pokemon as the star of a game that features the transformation of an area is a clever gimmick. But Human Ditto is a bit unsettling compared to the customizable, standard human avatar many gamers likely hoped for in a cozy Pokemon spinoff.
That said, Ditto’s abilities look like they’ll deliver some fun mechanics as you learn new moves that let you transform and grow your Pokemon paradise. The trailer features plenty of Kanto favorites, including the starters, Pikachu, and Scyther. A few later-gen Pokemon also make an appearance, so it looks like there’ll be a good number of Pokemon to meet in the adventures of Pokemon Pokopia.
The new Pokemon Pokopia spinoff is set to release for Nintendo Switch 2 in 2026. The exact release date, as well as pricing, has not yet been revealed. It’s likely we’ll learn a bit more about this new experiment from The Pokemon Company in the lead-up to the game’s release, especially once Pokemon Legends: Z-A has arrived. It’s not quite a Pokemon Concierge-inspired Pokemon cozy game like I was hoping for, but this is certainly an interesting new kind of spinoff from Pokemon.
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