Digital manga from Square Enix … delicious! As the image shows there is no shortage of titles that Square Enix will be unleashing on manga fans this fall here in the States and France also. There is a sign-up required but what can fans expect? How about some amazing titles, a few that have been published by Viz such as Fullmetal Alchemist, Soul Eater and O-Parts Hunter just to name a few. Check out the Square Enix Manga page for previews of these series and more.
What does this mean for manga fans? It’s not all about manga but rather Square Enix. Visitors need to become Square Enix Members to gain access to the site, earn points from purchases, play online games, read manga and talk to other members. It’s a community site that’s been done before for these types of properties but is unique for Square Enix. Manga fans can’t go wrong with free manga.
What does this mean to gamers? Gamers know that Square Enix churns out excellent video games and may have seen the highly detailed figures and soundtracks for purchase online but this is the other side of Square Enix. In Japan they publish manga, support series like Fullmetal Alchemist (thus the PS2 games) and are a part of more than just the video game industry in Japan. For gamers to truly embrace and support the industry they need to explore all aspects of the industry and Square Enix is finally making their full scope known here in the states.
It’s great to see a company like Square Enix giving more when so many companies need to scale back. Quote from Square Enix sums it up … “Given the increasing popularity of electronic reading formats, Square Enix has decided to take advantage of the online distribution infrastructure originally developed for its games business, along with the company's existing payment system and online fan communities in order to establish a paid digital distribution channel to better serve the varied needs of its global customers. Square Enix will continue to work with its existing regional publishing licensees to promote both electronic and print versions of titles, while aiming to deter piracy by establishing an official web-based distribution source.” Pretty cool no?
This technology was shown off at the just completed Comic-Con International in San Diego. Sign-up now and get on board from the beginning and take advantage of the feedback loop Square Enix is providing.
