STATUS ROYALE

STATUS ROYALE

VIZ Media | Published: February 13, 2024 | Paperback | $16.99 US

Writer and Illustrator: Ru Xu

Choose your teammates carefully and rank up fast because in the world of esports, anyone can snatch the crown!

Status Royale is THE game to master if you want to join the rank of elite players in the competitive world of VR esports. Check Mate Your King (Jun) is a famous pro esports player who returns home to Houston after his champion team, the Dallas Rodeos, dissolve due to a match fixing scandal. Meanwhile, his childhood bestie, Vellraptor (Vell), is having a blast as a casual gamer soaking up the tips and tricks Jun has to offer until he shuts her down and skips town!

Vell's competitive spirit is unlocked and she vows to challenge her former best friend with her own team of amateur Status Royale players and beat Jun at his own game, but does she really know who she's competing against?

Ru Xu is the first American creator to be serialized alongside Japanese legends of manga thanks to the VIZ Manga digital service. Status Royale is simultaneously published as new chapters become available: Ref: The New York Times

Esports by the numbers:

Americans spent $56.6 billion on video games in 2022, according to the NPD Group, a market research firm. This includes consoles, games, and accessories.

Gaming is forecast to grow to $485 billion per year industry globally by the end of 2027 up from $327 billion last year, according to analysis by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC).

Investment bank Goldman Sachs predicts esports viewership will overtake the NFL and analysis from Deloitte found "fabled riches" await investors and advertisers that tap into its young, affluent audience.

More people watch the esports League of Legends final vs the NFL superbowl

Going pro; for the best players gaming is more than just a hobby it s serious business.

Competing professionally can now be a legitimate career path with an increasing number of gamers earning a living through tournament prize money, lucrative sponsorship deals and online content creation.

Today, games are larger than film, music, and books, making the esports juggernaut part of popular culture and the mainstream zeitgeist.

Esports & Manga/Graphic Novels/Comic Books:

Science fiction/comic books is the ultimate escapist genre as is esports.

Both are rarefied realms with obsessive devotees who gather periodically with Comic Con-level enthusiasm, and where the most minute details are endlessly fixated upon.

With the exception of the internet, where webcomics about gamers are vast, Status Royale is one of the few graphic novels, and only manga available today which takes place largely within a video game, narrating the experience of the gamers.

About Ru Xu:

Ru Xu started her illustrating career by self-publishing her original stories online before studying Sequential Art at Savannah College of Art and Design, graduating in 2013, and debuting her Ignatz nominated children's graphic novel series, NewsPrints. Besides working on Status Royale, Ru also publishes her long-running Reuben nominated webcomic, Saint For Rent.

About VIZ Media:

An international authority on manga for more than three decades, VIZ Media is leading the way in what's now, new and next. Reaching one in four millennials and more than half of all GenZ manga readers, VIZ is at the forefront of America's Japanese pop-culture phenomenon, which today dominates multiple industries from publishing and animation to film and gaming.

VIZ is proud to be the #1 destination for manga in America and home to some of the most prestigious anime brands driving the industry. Combined with a market share footprint larger than household names collectively, VIZ has pivoted from a localization company to a market leading pop culture publisher and producer.

VIZ Media is proudly certified as a Most Loved Workplace in America and Inc. Magazine's 2023 Best Workplaces. For more information on VIZ Media visit: https://www.viz.com/

LINK:	https://www.viz.com/press-releases/v/1006728...
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