Palworld CEO Rejects Acquisition: 'Never Happening'

Last summer, Palworld developer Pocketpair signed a deal with Sony Music Entertainment to expand the Palworld universe into merchandise, music, and other products. This business agreement sparked some confusion among fans, who mistakenly believed it hinted at an impending acquisition, particularly following rumors earlier in the year that Pocketpair was in discussions with Microsoft about a possible buyout.

Pocketpair CEO Takuro Mizobe later debunked these acquisition rumors, but the speculation persisted, fueled by Microsoft's aggressive acquisition strategy in the AA gaming sector and Sony's responsive acquisitions. This has kept the conversation alive about whether Pocketpair might be next on the acquisition list.

However, the likelihood of Pocketpair being acquired seems slim. When I spoke with Pocketpair's communications director and publishing manager, John 'Bucky' Buckley, at the Game Developers Conference last month, he expressed strong doubts about the possibility:

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

Buckley's response was emphatic, emphasizing Mizobe's strong desire for independence. He elaborated on the future of Pocketpair:

“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 for Palworld to be released on the Nintendo Switch 2, the studio's response to the game being dubbed “Pokemon with guns”, and more. You can read the full interview here.