The manga distribution app comico announced that it will end its service on 6 January 2027. The vertical-scroll manga market is contracting, and the dissolution of the capital alliance involving Renta! has also been reported.
comico provided vertical-scroll manga for smartphones, but announced that it would end its service after approximately 13 years in operation. The end date is 6 January 2027.
The article cites factors including the expressive constraints of vertical-scroll manga, differences in production environments and unfavorable contract terms, pointing out that it offers less creative freedom than Japanese manga. The large-scale division of labor used in South Korea is also regarded as an issue because it reduces creators’ shares.
The article also presents critical views of promotional methods used in the past to feature vertical-scroll manga. It says that the successor label is unlikely to deliver results and that hit titles will be difficult to produce unless the number of works increases. Nevertheless, the author believes that the vertical-scroll format has potential.