Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc. (Headquarters:
Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, President and CEO: Shunsuke Muramatsu, hereinafter referred to as SMEJ) and its group subsidiary Aniplex Inc. (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, President: Atsuhiro Iwakami, hereinafter referred to as Aniplex) and Pocketpair, Inc. (Headquarters: Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo, President: Takuro Mizobe, hereinafter referred to as Pocketpair) have established a joint venture,
Palworld Entertainment Inc., to expand and develop new businesses associated with the hit game,
Palworld. The announcement was made today in a joint release by all three companies.
Palworld, a
multiplayer open world
survival game created, produced and published by Japanese developer, Pocketpair, became the breakout hit of 2024 when the total number of players surpassed 25 million after only one month in release.
The
Palworld game, currently available on
PC,
Xbox Series X/S,
Xbox One, and through
Xbox Game Pass, seamlessly integrates elements of battle, monster-capturing, training, and base building. Players are able to wield a range of weapons, from classic bows and spears to modern assault rifles and rocket launchers. The gameplay involves locating and capturing Pals, who in addition to assisting players in the construction and expansion of their base operations, can become powerful allies in combat.
The joint venture will be responsible for developing the reach of the intellectual property and for expanding commercial business endeavors, including the global licensing and merchandising activities associated with
Palworld, outside of the interactive game.
Joint venture efforts will begin with the development of exclusive merchandise based on the game—which will debut and sell at the Pocketpair booth during Bilibili World 2024 (beginning Friday, July 12, 2024 in Shanghai, China) and be made available for pre-order at Aniplex and its subsidiaries, Aniplex of America and Aniplex Shanghai, e-commerce sites with more detailed information at a later date.