Last summer, Palworld developer Pocketpair inked a significant deal with Sony Music Entertainment, aimed at expanding the Palworld universe beyond the gaming realm into merchandise, music, and various other products. This business move, however, sparked a flurry of speculation among fans who misinterpreted it as an indicator of an upcoming acquisition, fueled further by earlier rumors that Pocketpair was in discussions with Microsoft for a buyout.
Contrary to the acquisition buzz, Pocketpair CEO Takuro Mizobe later clarified that no such deal was on the table at the time, although the speculation opened up conversations about the future of Pocketpair. The gaming community has continued to speculate, particularly in light of Microsoft's aggressive acquisition spree in the AA gaming sector and their interest in Japanese developers, alongside Sony's own strategic acquisitions.
The question of whether Pocketpair will ever be acquired remains open, but the likelihood seems low according to Pocketpair's communications director and publishing manager, John 'Bucky' Buckley. Speaking at the Game Developers Conference, Buckley emphasized the unlikelihood of an acquisition:
“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's strong stance suggests that CEO Takuro Mizobe values independence and autonomy over being part of a larger corporate structure. Buckley 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 broader discussion, Buckley also touched upon the potential of Palworld making its way to the Nintendo Switch 2, the studio's response to the game being dubbed "Pokemon with guns," and other topics. You can delve into the full interview [ttpp] here [ttpp].
