Palworld's CEO Rejects Acquisition: 'It's Not Happening'

Last summer, Palworld's developer, Pocketpair, entered into a significant agreement with Sony Music Entertainment. This deal was focused on expanding the Palworld universe beyond gaming through merchandise, music, and other products. However, this business move sparked rumors among fans, who mistakenly believed it signaled an impending acquisition, especially following earlier rumors that Pocketpair was in discussions with Microsoft for such a purpose.

Pocketpair's CEO, Takuro Mizobe, later clarified that the acquisition rumors were unfounded at the time, yet the speculation fueled further discussions among fans. The conversation gained momentum as Microsoft continued to acquire numerous AA studios and reportedly showed interest in Japanese developers, while Sony responded with its own acquisitions.

So, will Pocketpair ever be acquired? The decision ultimately rests with Mizobe. However, when I spoke with John 'Bucky' Buckley, Pocketpair's communications director and publishing manager, at the Game Developers Conference last month, he expressed strong skepticism about the likelihood of an acquisition.

"Our CEO would never allow it," Buckley stated emphatically. "He likes doing his own thing and being his own boss. He doesn't like people telling him what to do."

Buckley's remarks suggest a firm stance against acquisition, at least in the near future. He added, "So I would be shocked. Maybe when he's old, and he might just sell it off for money. And that would be sad, but in my lifetime, I probably won't see it. No, it'll be interesting to see where the two paths go. We, Pocketpair, are obviously only involved in where the game path is going. Palworld as an IP, we are involved, but it’s very much in the hands of Aniplex and Sony Music who are steering that ship right now. We are just offering our advice and thoughts as they take that."

In our interview, Buckley and I also discussed the potential of Palworld coming to the Nintendo Switch 2, the studio's reaction to the game being dubbed "Pokemon with guns," and more. You can read the full discussion [ttpp].