Palworld CEO Rejects Acquisition: 'Never Allow It,' Says Communications Director

Last summer, Palworld developer Pocketpair entered into a significant partnership with Sony Music Entertainment to expand the Palworld universe beyond gaming. This deal aimed at creating merchandise, music, and other products related to Palworld. However, some fans misinterpreted this collaboration as a hint towards an impending acquisition, fueled by earlier rumors that Pocketpair was in discussions with Microsoft for a buyout.

Pocketpair CEO Takuro Mizobe later debunked these acquisition rumors, yet the topic continued to spark discussions among fans. This interest was further heightened by Microsoft's aggressive acquisition strategy in the AA gaming sector and their interest in Japanese developers, alongside Sony's own acquisitions in response.

The question remains: Will Pocketpair ever be acquired? The decision ultimately rests with Mizobe. When I discussed this possibility with Pocketpair's communications director and publishing manager, John 'Bucky' Buckley, 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 firm stance suggests that any potential acquisition is highly unlikely under Mizobe's current leadership. 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 addition to discussing potential acquisitions, Buckley and I also talked about the possibility of Palworld coming to the Nintendo Switch 2, the studio's response to the game being dubbed "Pokemon with guns," and other topics. You can delve into our full interview [ttpp]here[ttpp].