Palworld devs partner with Sony to aid in further “expansion” of the game

Palworld developer Pocketpair has announced a partnership with Sony and Aniplex for a multimedia expansion.

Palworld arrived on the back of relatively little fanfare and exploded into a genuine phenomenon. In a span of days, the game amassed over 2 million concurrent players on Steam to become the second-most-played game of all time on the platform.

Lovingly referred to as ‘Pokemon with guns’ by its player base, some hoped that it would be a genuine contender to the monster-catching crown. Palworld’s detractors accused the game of being a rip-off that plagiarized Pokemon’s designs with generative AI.

Well, it looks like Palworld developer Pocketpair is taking another leaf out of the Pokemon book. The company announced a new partnership Sony Music Entertainment Japan and Aniplex to turn Palworld into a multimedia IP.

The partnership is to facilitate the creation of a new company called Palworld Entertainment, Inc. According to the company’s new website, its primary aim is to license new merchandise and media both in Japan and around the globe.

Despite not being available on Sony consoles as of yet, the joint venture with a Sony-owned organization is intended to bridge gaps in the availability of the Palworld video game.

“In addition, starting from SME and Aniplex, we will also work with the Sony Group to promote new developments for Palworld,” a (translated) statement picked up by Famitsu reads. “Please look forward to the business development of this JV, which will also lead to the ongoing development of the Palworld game by Pocket Pair.”

Palworld’s future on PlayStation consoles was recently teased by the game’s community manager on X. This deal has cemented players’ excitement.

The partnership with Aniplex also means we could see a Palwolrd anime in the future. If they continue their satirical take on Pokemon, it should provide plenty of laughs.