Last summer, Palworld developer Pocketpair entered into a significant business agreement with Sony Music Entertainment. This collaboration is set to expand the Palworld universe beyond gaming, encompassing merchandise, music, and other products. Despite the deal being strictly a business arrangement, it sparked rumors among fans that an acquisition might be imminent, especially following earlier whispers that Pocketpair was in discussions with Microsoft about a potential buyout.
Pocketpair CEO Takuro Mizobe later debunked these acquisition rumors, clarifying that no such deal was in the works at the time. However, the speculation persisted, fueled by Microsoft's aggressive acquisition strategy in the AA gaming sector and their apparent interest in Japanese developers, as well as Sony's counter-moves in the acquisition space.
The question remains: Will Pocketpair ever be acquired? The decision ultimately lies with Mizobe. At the Game Developers Conference last month, I spoke with Pocketpair's communications director and publishing manager, John 'Bucky' Buckley, about this possibility. Buckley was unequivocal in his response, stating, "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 firm stance suggests that an acquisition is highly unlikely. 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."
In our conversation, Buckley and I also touched on other topics, including the potential release of Palworld on the Nintendo Switch 2, the studio's response to the game being dubbed "Pokemon with guns," and more. You can delve into the full interview here.
