Palworld CEO Rejects Acquisition Rumors: 'Never Happening'

Last summer, Palworld developer Pocketpair entered into a significant agreement with Sony Music Entertainment, aimed at expanding the Palworld universe beyond gaming into merchandise, music, and other products. This deal sparked speculation among fans, particularly after earlier rumors that Pocketpair might be acquired by Microsoft. However, these acquisition rumors were quickly debunked by Pocketpair CEO Takuro Mizobe, although they did fuel ongoing discussions about the company's future.

The gaming industry has seen a wave of acquisitions, with Microsoft aggressively expanding its portfolio and Sony responding with acquisitions of its own. This backdrop has led many to wonder if Pocketpair might eventually be acquired. Yet, according to John 'Bucky' Buckley, Pocketpair's communications director and publishing manager, the likelihood of this happening is extremely low.

During a conversation at the Game Developers Conference, Buckley firmly stated, “Our CEO would 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.” This strong stance from Mizobe suggests that Pocketpair values its independence highly.

Buckley elaborated further, saying, “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 the potential acquisition, Buckley also touched on other topics during the interview, including the possibility of Palworld coming to the Nintendo Switch 2, the studio's reaction to the game being dubbed “Pokemon with guns,” and more. For a deeper dive into these subjects, you can read the full interview [ttpp].