Palworld's CEO Rejects Acquisition: 'It Will Never Happen'

Last summer, Palworld's developer, Pocketpair, entered into a significant partnership with Sony Music Entertainment. This collaboration was aimed at expanding the Palworld universe beyond gaming through the creation of merchandise, music, and other products. However, this business deal led to some confusion among fans, who mistakenly believed it signaled an impending acquisition of Pocketpair, especially given earlier rumors that the company was in discussions with Microsoft for a buyout.

Pocketpair CEO Takuro Mizobe later clarified that the acquisition rumors were unfounded, yet the speculation fueled extensive discussions within the gaming community. The conversation around potential acquisitions intensified as Microsoft continued to acquire numerous AA studios and reportedly pursued Japanese developers, while Sony responded with acquisitions of its own.

The question remains: will Pocketpair ever be acquired? The decision ultimately rests with Mizobe. When I spoke with Pocketpair's communications director and publishing manager, John 'Bucky' Buckley, at the Game Developers Conference last month, he expressed strong skepticism about the possibility of an acquisition. Buckley stated, "Our CEO would never allow it. 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 emphatic response underscores Mizobe's strong preference for independence. 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."

During our interview, Buckley and I also discussed the potential for Palworld to be released on the Nintendo Switch 2, the studio's response to the game being labeled "Pokemon with guns," and more. You can delve into the full discussion [ttpp]here[ttpp].