Last summer, Palworld developer Pocketpair signed a deal with Sony Music Entertainment to expand the Palworld universe beyond gaming through merchandise, music, and other products. However, this business agreement led some fans to mistakenly believe it signaled an impending acquisition, especially given earlier rumors that Pocketpair was negotiating with Microsoft for such a move.
Pocketpair CEO Takuro Mizobe later clarified that those acquisition rumors were unfounded, yet they sparked significant discussion. Since then, speculation about a potential acquisition has continued, fueled by Microsoft's rapid acquisition of numerous AA studios and their interest in Japanese developers, as well as Sony's retaliatory acquisitions.
So, will Pocketpair ever be acquired? The decision rests with Mizobe. At the Game Developers Conference last month, communications director and publishing manager John 'Bucky' Buckley expressed strong skepticism about the likelihood of such an event. "Our CEO would never allow it," Buckley stated emphatically. "He'd never allow it. He likes doing his own thing and being his own boss. He doesn't like people telling him what to do."
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."
Buckley and I also discussed the possibility of Palworld coming to the Nintendo Switch 2, the studio's reaction to the game being labeled "Pokemon with guns," and more. You can read the full interview here.
