Palworld CEO Rejects Acquisition: 'Never Allow It,' Says Communications Director

Last summer, the developer of Palworld, Pocketpair, entered into a significant agreement with Sony Music Entertainment. This collaboration aims to expand the Palworld universe beyond gaming into merchandise, music, and other products. However, this business deal sparked rumors among fans that it might signal an impending acquisition, especially following earlier whispers that Pocketpair was in discussions with Microsoft for a buyout.

Pocketpair CEO Takuro Mizobe later debunked these acquisition rumors, yet the speculation persisted, fueled by Microsoft's aggressive acquisition strategy in the AA gaming sector and their interest in Japanese developers, alongside Sony's own acquisitions in response.

The question remains: will Pocketpair ever be acquired? The answer largely hinges on Mizobe's decisions. At the recent Game Developers Conference, communications director and publishing manager John 'Bucky' Buckley expressed strong skepticism about any potential acquisition of Pocketpair.

"Our CEO would never allow it," Buckley stated emphatically. "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 confidence in Mizobe's stance against acquisition is clear. 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 the same interview, Buckley and I also discussed the potential of Palworld coming to the Nintendo Switch 2, the studio's response to the game being dubbed "Pokemon with guns," and more. You can delve into the full conversation [ttpp]here[ttpp].