JManga Digital Manga Service Shuts Down

Digital manga retailer and reading platform, JManga, has announced its imminent shutdown after just about two years in business. The company has ceased selling its in-app currency and is giving users until March 26 to redeem any unused "points" before operations cease completely on May 30.JManga never seemed to catch on with a mass audience, taking nearly a year to offer services via mobile device applications, having trouble with maintaining and acquiring lucrative licenses, and struggling to establish prices users wanted to pay due to a variety of internal and external factors.

Unused JManga currency already purchased by users will be redeemed for Amazon Gift Cards for the same monetary value as their points. What's troubling, however, is that manga already purchased will no longer be viewable past May 30, and JManga is not offering any way for customers to download or otherwise retain their previous purchases.

Following the recent crash on ComiXology's servers this past week, JManga's closure points to the potentially problematic nature of Cloud-based comics services with no option for downloads, especially when the option to consume purchased material is dependent on the success of the company.

[Via JManga]