Last summer, Palworld developer Pocketpair entered into a significant agreement with Sony Music Entertainment to expand the Palworld universe beyond gaming. This deal focused on creating merchandise, music, and other products related to Palworld. However, this business move was misinterpreted by some fans as a signal that Pocketpair might be on the verge of being acquired, especially following rumors earlier in the year suggesting that Pocketpair was in discussions with Microsoft about a potential acquisition.
Pocketpair CEO Takuro Mizobe later debunked these acquisition rumors, but they certainly sparked a lot of discussion among fans. The speculation continued, fueled by Microsoft's aggressive acquisition strategy within the AA gaming sector and their 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 rests 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 emphatic in his response:
“Our CEO would never allow it,” he said. “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 elaborated further:
“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 addition to discussing the acquisition, Buckley and I also spoke about 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 interview right here.
