Palworld developer announces it's teaming up with Sony Music for exclusive merch, so here's hoping for a Lamball-fronted rap album

Pocketpair, the studio behind Palworld - that controversial hit from earlier this year that turned everyone into armchair lawyers for a hot minute - has announced it's teaming up with Sony Music and Aniplex for a joint venture aimed at expanding the game's reach. How? Well, at least in part by selling things.

While a lot of folks had initially expected Palworld to be the subject of some kind of legal intervention by Nintendo after it attracted allegations that the models used for some of its creatures were close to being rip-offs of established Pokemon, it, well, hasn't. At least not yet.

So, it's not surprising to see Pocketpair really starting to try and take advantage of the game's potential to infiltrate every aspect of our lives via the distribution of plushies and other tat, something that's already been happening in what we assume to be not quite official fashion on various corners of the internet for a while. Remember the weird Grizzbolt and Depresso morph suits, some of which seem to have had their listings disappear since February?

Well, now, as announced in a press release, Pocketpair's teamed up with Sony Music Entertainment and its subsidiary Aniplex - known for having been involved in the production and distribution of anime series like Fullmetal Alchemist and Gurren Lagann - for a joint venture called Palworld Entertainment Inc. The new company "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."

So, basically, selling stuff based on stuff from Palworld, and looking for oppotuinuties to promote the game so it becomes even more of a pop culture juggernaut. For example, the venture's efforts are kicking off with "the development of exclusive merchandise based on the game", which'll go on sale first during Chinese convention Bilibili World 2024 later this week, and then be made available to pre-order via Aniplex's online storefronts.

We're praying the music bit will be leant into so Pocketpair can make good on how much a lot of the shots of pals in official trailers and screenshots for the game have looked like they'd make cool album covers (see the featured image for this article), but who knows if we'll ever get an EP from MC Lamball.

If you missed it, Palworld's big Sakurajima Update dropped on June 27, bringing with it a new location, a new faction, and a new boss.