Palworld's CEO Firmly Rejects Acquisition: 'Never Going to Happen'

Last summer, Palworld developer Pocketpair signed a deal with Sony Music Entertainment to create a range of merchandise, music, and other products, expanding the Palworld universe beyond the gaming realm. This business agreement sparked confusion among fans, who initially thought it might signal an upcoming acquisition, especially after rumors earlier in the year suggested that Pocketpair was in talks with Microsoft for a buyout.

However, Pocketpair CEO Takuro Mizobe later debunked the acquisition rumors, yet the conversation around this topic persisted. With Microsoft aggressively acquiring numerous AA studios and reportedly courting Japanese developers, and Sony responding with its own acquisitions, speculation about Pocketpair's future intensified.

So, is an acquisition on the cards for Pocketpair? The decision lies with Mizobe, but according to communications director and publishing manager John 'Bucky' Buckley, whom I interviewed at the Game Developers Conference last month, the likelihood of Pocketpair being acquired is extremely low.

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

Buckley continued, "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."

Buckley and I also spoke about the potential of Palworld coming to the Nintendo Switch 2, the studio's reaction to the game being labeled "Pokemon with guns", and much more in our interview. You can delve into the full discussion here.