[1] Launched as a replacement for the magazine Newtype USA, which was discontinued in February 2008, PiQ went beyond anime and manga to include coverage on video games, popular American comics, and television series.
After only four issues, the magazine was abruptly discontinued in July 2008, which the editorial staff blamed on low revenue, bad management, and lack of marketing.
[2] It's unfortunate that we'll never get a chance to see how successful PiQ could have been, but a combination of low advertising revenue, poor business management and a lack of proper marketing and promotion all hamstrung the magazine from the start.
Some enjoyed the greater coverage, while others strongly disliked it, to the point one group of fans organized monthly gatherings to burn their copies in effigy.
[9] Christopher Butcher, of Comics212, referred to it as "weak all-around", feeling the editorial staff had a poor understanding of its demographic and had produced a substandard work.