Famed Shonen Jump publisher, Shueisha, revealed the establishment of a subsidiary aimed at creating games with manga and anime insiders.
Shueisha, the famed publisher of manga, including Shonen Jump magazine, announced today the creation of a gaming subsidiary called Shueisha Games.
Wanting to invest in the gaming industry, Shueisha established Shueisha Games Inc. on Feb. 16 of this year. In Shueisha’s press release, the publishing giant explained its intention to bring new creators into the industry, drawing on its years in the anime and manga fields to use those connections for gaming. Although the company was only just announced, Shueisha Games already has multiple game titles currently in development, with at least three expected to release this year.
Shueisha Game Creators CAMP, a business within the newly established Shueisha Games, celebrates its first anniversary on April 20. Through Shueisha Game Creators CAMP, Shueisha plans to bring together manga artists, novelists, visual artists, illustrators, sound creators and more to create never-before-seen styles of games. Part of this initiative is to support new creators, with Shueisha helping pave the road for those interested in joining the gaming industry, be it small studios or solo developers.
The press release revealed four game titles in active development, three of which have 2022 release dates and a fourth expected in late 2022/early 2023. Captain Velvet Meteor: The Jump+ Dimensions is the first of these and currently has a scheduled release period of this summer. Touted as a tactical-action game, Captain Velvet Meteor: The Jump+ Dimensions is the only game that lists a platform for release — Nintendo Switch. Whether players can expect all Shueisha Games to be Nintendo Switch exclusives or if they might see other platform releases remains to be seen.
Other titles include The Tower of Children (a survival rogue-like adventure), ONI (Working title, a 3D action game), and Ukiyo (a Japanese Cyberpunk adventure, due at the end of this year or beginning of next). Additionally, two unnamed titles are currently in development. One is a smartphone game with character design by «a famous «Weekly Shonen Jump» manga artist» with development and story overseen by an unnamed «major overseas company.» Another title is simply referred to as a «Multiplayer Speed Trick Action Game» in conjunction with a major Japanese company and is said to be «a new genre of multi-player competition.»
Shueisha’s news comes on the heels of a good period of expansion for the already popular publisher. Last month, Shueisha announced that international audiences would have access to panels from its annual Jump Festa 2022, which took place in December 2021. In January, Shonen Jump also opened its U.S. online store, where fans can purchase merchandise such as caps, shirts, hoodies, and mugs. Considering the fever surrounding the recent announcement of a One-Piece JRPG-style video game, it seems likely titles by Shueisha Games will spark interest from its already well-established fan base.
Source: Shueisha
Julia Anderson is a Gaming News Editor for CBR. She is a life-long gamer and bookworm, spending most of her childhood either glued to a novel or the computer. As a teen, she found herself deeply embedded in the fanfiction community and discovered her talent for writing and editing. Since then, she’s run her own freelance writing and editing business, Anderson Wordsmith. When she isn’t reading or playing D&D, RPGs, or stealth-based games, Julia is usually found imitating old age: drinking herbal tea in her favorite chair, crocheting, and watching a Shakespeare or Jane Austen adaptation with her faithful dog, Ben.
