PRHPS to Distribute Square Enix

Beginning in fall 2019, Penguin Random House Publisher Services will handle sales and distribution for Square Enix, Inc. (SEA, a U.S. subsidiary of Square Enix Holdings Co.) to introduce a new line of English-language manga, novels, and art books across all sales channels worldwide.

Square Enix, the Japanese entertainment company, is best known internationally for its gaming properties, which include Final Fantasy, Tomb Raider, Dragon Quest, and NieR:Automata titles on game consoles and mobile platforms, but in Japan, Square Enix is also a renowned book and magazine publisher. The company has previously licensed its manga properties (including hits like Fullmetal Alchemist, Soul Eater and Black Butler) to U.S. publishers, but the new program marks its entry into the English-language market directly, publishing graphic novels and other book products under its own brand name for the first time through all major book sales channels.

Initial titles include Final Fantasy XV: The Dawn of the Future, a novel containing a new chapter in the Final Fantasy XV universe; the manga Hi Score Girl, which was adapted into an anime on Netflix; A Man and His Cat (Japanese title: Oji-sama to Neko), the pet-themed comedy that was the bestselling new manga in Japan during the first half of 2018; and the complete edition of the global mega-hit manga Soul Eater.

Katsuyoshi Matsuura, executive officer and v-p of the publication business unit, Square Enix Co., said, "We are excited to have this opportunity to introduce our wide variety of books with the help of PRHPS to our new readers."

And Masaaki Shimizu, general manager and publisher of the SEA's Book Publishing Division and responsible for the new program, said, "We're so excited that we now have the full support from PRHPS for achieving our goals to introduce more English translated books and expand our reach to new audiences."

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