Palworld's Communications Director Confirms No Acquisition: CEO Stands Firm

Last summer, the developer of Palworld, Pocketpair, entered into a significant agreement with Sony Music Entertainment. This partnership aims to broaden the Palworld universe beyond gaming, encompassing merchandise, music, and other products. However, this business deal led to some confusion among fans, who mistakenly believed it signaled an impending acquisition of Pocketpair, particularly fueled by earlier rumors that the company was in discussions with Microsoft for such a purpose.

Pocketpair CEO Takuro Mizobe later clarified that the acquisition rumors were unfounded at the time, yet the speculation persisted. This interest in Pocketpair's future has been heightened by Microsoft's aggressive acquisition strategy within the gaming industry, targeting numerous AA developers and reportedly showing interest in Japanese developers. Similarly, Sony has been actively acquiring studios, adding to the speculation surrounding Pocketpair's potential future.

The question of whether Pocketpair will ever be acquired remains open, but it ultimately hinges on Mizobe's decisions. At the Game Developers Conference last month, I had the opportunity to discuss this with Pocketpair's communications director and publishing manager, John 'Bucky' Buckley. He expressed strong skepticism about the possibility of an acquisition, emphasizing Mizobe's independent spirit and desire for autonomy.

“Our CEO would never allow it,” Buckley stated emphatically. “He likes doing his own thing and being his own boss. He doesn't like people telling him what to do.” Buckley's repeated assertions underline a firm stance against any acquisition, suggesting that Mizobe's personal values and leadership style are significant barriers to such a move.

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 delved into 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 explore the full discussion [ttpp]here[ttpp].