ADV has informed its advertisers that it will cease publishing Newtype USA with the February issue.  It will launch a new title, PiQ, shortly thereafter.   The message said that 'its discontinuation is not a reflection on the quality of the magazine or its success in the marketplace.  The decision to sunset Newtype was made at the executive level due to a difference in strategic corporate needs between the licensor [Kadokawa Shoten] and Newtype USA's parent company [ADV].' 

PiQ, the new title, will have a broader portfolio, covering 'anime, manga, videogames, comics, movies, TV, digital media, high-tech gadgets, and more.'

Newtype USA launched in the summer of 2002 (see 'Newtype USA Bows at Cons') and has achieved considerable circulation success, especially given its eyepopping $9.95 cover price.  One of the keys to that success has been the content from the Japanese version, published by Kadokawa Shoten, which will no longer be available for PiQ.

We contacted Newtype for more information, but did not receive answers to our questions by press time.