Viz Media Expands Into Indie Gaming With The World Next Door

Published: February 8, 2018 4:45 PM /

By:


viz media the world next door rose city games

Viz Media, a company best known for bringing manga & anime to Western fans around the world, has entered into a deal with Rose City Games to produce three indie games as reported by GamesIndustry.biz. The first game has been billed as The World Next Door.

If you're not a casual fan of Japanese entertainment (or a diehard weeb like myself and countless others), you might not be familiar with Viz Media just by their name. The company largely focuses on taking Japanese entertainment, translating it into English, and making it available in print and digital forms for fans in the Western world who haven't quite learned the 2,000 or so kanji needed to be a proficient Japanese reader. Among their many titles are Shonen Jump (based off of Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump magazine), BleachNaruto, Dragon Ball Z, and many other big-name titles where it takes 50 chapters to finish a battle.

Translating the constant onslaught of manga & anime churned out by Japan should be enough to keep any company busy, but Viz Media is keen on expanding their business into other areas of entertainment. They've paired up with indie developer Rose City Games to produce three titles. The World Next Door (not to be confused with the classic Twilight Zone episode) is the first game of the deal and is currently in production for the PC.

In The World Next Door, you'll take on the role of Jun, a rebellious teenager who gets trapped in a parallel world filled with magical creatures. The game will be a narrative-driven experience based on the themes found in similar indie games, manga, & anime, making for a perfect partnership between Rose City Games & Viz Media. If you'd like to keep up with development of Viz's foray into the gaming world, you can head on over to the game's official website or check out their Twitter.

What do you think of Viz getting into the gaming business? Do you think they'll be able to bring forward some interesting titles with their developer partners? Let us know in the comments below!

Have a tip, or want to point out something we missed? Leave a Comment or e-mail us at tips@techraptor.net


A photograph of TechRaptor Senior Writer Robert N. Adams.
| Senior Writer

One of my earliest memories is playing Super Mario Bros. on the Nintendo Entertainment System. I've had a controller in my hand since I was 4 and I… More about Robert N