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

Last summer, Palworld developer Pocketpair entered into an exciting partnership with Sony Music Entertainment to expand the Palworld universe beyond gaming through merchandise, music, and other products. This collaboration sparked speculation among fans, especially following earlier rumors that Pocketpair might be in acquisition talks with Microsoft. However, Pocketpair CEO Takuro Mizobe debunked these acquisition rumors, although they did fuel ongoing discussions about the company's future.

With Microsoft's aggressive acquisition strategy in the gaming industry and Sony's counter-moves, many have wondered if Pocketpair might be next on the list. However, when I spoke with Pocketpair's communications director and publishing manager, John 'Bucky' Buckley, at the Game Developers Conference, he made it clear that an acquisition is highly unlikely.

"Our CEO would never allow it," Buckley emphasized. "He likes doing his own thing and being his own boss. He doesn't like people telling him what to do." Buckley's strong stance suggests that Pocketpair's independence is a core value for Mizobe.

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."

In our comprehensive interview, Buckley and I also discussed the potential for Palworld to make its way to the Nintendo Switch 2, the studio's response to the game being dubbed "Pokemon with guns," and other intriguing topics. You can dive into the full conversation [ttpp]here[ttpp].