Last summer, Palworld's developer, Pocketpair, signed a deal with Sony Music Entertainment to expand the Palworld universe through merchandise, music, and other products. This business agreement sparked speculation among fans, who mistakenly believed it signaled an impending acquisition, particularly following rumors earlier in the year that Pocketpair was in talks with Microsoft for such a purpose.

Pocketpair CEO Takuro Mizobe later clarified that the acquisition rumors were untrue, but they certainly ignited discussions within the gaming community. Since then, speculation about a potential acquisition has persisted, fueled by Microsoft's aggressive acquisition strategy in the AA gaming sector and Sony's counter-moves in the market.

The question remains: Will Pocketpair ever be acquired? The decision ultimately rests with Mizobe. At the Game Developers Conference last month, Pocketpair's communications director and publishing manager, John 'Bucky' Buckley, expressed strong skepticism about the likelihood of an acquisition.

“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 continued, “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 spoke about the possibility of Palworld coming to the Nintendo Switch 2, the studio's reaction to the game being labeled “Pokemon with guns,” and much more in our interview. You can read the full discussion right here.