Palworld's CEO Firmly Rejects Acquisition Rumors

Last summer, the developer of Palworld, Pocketpair, signed a deal with Sony Music Entertainment to expand the Palworld universe beyond gaming through merchandise, music, and other products. This business agreement sparked speculation among fans, who mistakenly thought it hinted at an upcoming acquisition, fueled by earlier rumors of Pocketpair being in talks with Microsoft for a buyout.

Pocketpair CEO Takuro Mizobe later confirmed that the acquisition rumors were untrue at the time, yet they ignited significant conversation among the community. Speculation about a potential acquisition has persisted, especially given Microsoft's recent spree of acquiring AA studios and their interest in Japanese developers, as well as Sony's own series of acquisitions in response.

So, will Pocketpair ever be acquired? The decision lies with Mizobe, but when I spoke to 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 such an event.

“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 elaborated further: “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 discussed the possibility of Palworld coming to the Nintendo Switch 2, the studio’s reaction to the game being called “Pokemon with guns”, and much more in our interview. You can read the full discussion right here.