Palworld CEO Rejects Acquisition Rumors: 'Never Happening'

Last summer, Palworld developer 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 confusion among fans, with many mistakenly believing it signaled an upcoming acquisition, especially following rumors earlier in the year that Pocketpair was in discussions with Microsoft for a buyout.

Pocketpair CEO Takuro Mizobe later clarified that these acquisition rumors were unfounded, yet the discussion continued to fuel speculation. This was particularly driven by Microsoft's aggressive acquisition strategy across the AA gaming industry and their reported interest in Japanese developers, alongside Sony's own series of acquisitions in response.

So, will Pocketpair ever be acquired? The decision ultimately rests with Mizobe, but at the Game Developers Conference last month, communications director and publishing manager John 'Bucky' Buckley expressed strong doubts about the possibility.

"Our CEO would never allow it," Buckley emphasized. "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 further elaborated, "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 come to the Nintendo Switch 2, the studio’s response to the game being dubbed “Pokemon with guns”, and more in our interview. You can read the full discussion right here.