Square and Shueisha Form New Subsidiary

Square has announced that it will form a new subsidiary with Shueisha, one of Japan's largest publishers. The agreement will allow the contents of Shueisha's Weekly Jump magazine to be distributed as part of Square's PlayOnline digital content. The subsidiary will officially be established in the spring of 2001, although its name and executive members have not been decided yet. Though no official figures have been disclosed, it is expected that Shueisha will provide 70 percent of the initial capital funds, while Square will provide the remaining 30 percent.

This is not the first time that Square has mentioned offering the ability to read manga (Japanese comics) through its upcoming online service, PlayOnline. With the acquisition of Weekly Jump - a popular print magazine in Japan which previously featured manga titles like Dragonball, Fist of the North Star, and Rurouni Kenshin - the company has certainly brought itself one step closer to establishing that service. The subsidiary plans to launch its PlayOnline service sometime in the 2001 fiscal year.