Kakao Entertainment is winding down Tapas and folding its story content subsidiaries into one company, while its South Korean platforms consolidate onto Kakao Page and Wuxiaworld returns to independent ownership.
Kakao Entertainment spent the second half of 2026 pulling its story business into fewer pieces. On August 14 it announced that three wholly owned production subsidiaries, Samyang C&C, Intime and Pilyeon Management, would merge by the end of the year under the Samyang C&C name, with Sung-taek Cha as CEO. The units develop webtoons and web novels across romance fantasy and martial arts, including production, publishing, merchandise and adaptations.
The U.S. side went the other way. Kakao said Tapas will close its North American service on March 31, 2027. Tapas stopped selling Ink and disabled free-currency earning on October 1, and an updated FAQ says unlocked episodes and unspent Ink become inaccessible on the shutdown date, with no transfer to Kakao Page or Kakao Webtoon and no refunds. Personal data exports exclude saved comics and files.
The shutdown put creators in limbo. TurtleMe, author of The Beginning After the End, wrote on September 24 that the series' future is unclear and asked readers to follow creators on their social accounts. Wuxiaworld founder Ren said the coming shutdown was the main reason he bought his platform back from Tapas Entertainment on September 20, days before Kakao set the closure date. He now runs it at a monthly gross loss of about US$30,000.
In South Korea, Kakao will merge Kakao Page and Kakao Webtoon into a single service centered on Kakao Page by the end of 2026, gathering content, user data and about 16,000 original IPs. Most Kakao Webtoon reading histories, cash balances and unused paid reading passes are expected to transfer, with separate guidance promised on which assets qualify. Earlier in July, the sequel Tomb Raider King: Endline launched on Kakao Page as a webtoon on July 5 and a web novel on July 6; the anime adaptation aired in Japan from July 8, directed by Seung Wook Woo at STUDIO EEK and streamed on Crunchyroll.
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Ren, who founded Wuxiaworld in 2014, has bought the English web fiction platform back from Tapas Entertainment, returning it to independent ownership. He announced the purchase on September 20, days before Kakao Entertainment said Tapas will close its North American service on March 31, 2027. Ren said the coming shutdown was the main reason for the buyback. The platform now runs at a monthly gross loss of about US$30,000.
Kakao Entertainment will close its North American webtoon and webnovel platform Tapas and merge its two South Korean platforms, Kakao Page and Kakao Webtoon, into a single service centered on Kakao Page by the end of 2026. The company plans to notify publishers and rights holders about the Tapas shutdown on Tuesday, covering the service end date, content management and settlements, with no details yet on user refunds or how content and user data will be handled. In South Korea, the consolidation will gather content, user data and about 16,000 original IPs onto Kakao Page. Kakao Entertainment is expected to announce a detailed transition schedule for users of both services on September 29. Most Kakao Webtoon reading histories, remaining cash balances and unused paid reading passes are expected to transfer to Kakao Page, with separate guidance promised on which assets qualify and how the transfers work.
Tapas will end service on March 31, 2027, and an updated FAQ says unlocked episodes and unspent Ink balances become inaccessible that day. Tapas stopped selling Ink and disabled free-currency earning on Oct. 1. Purchases cannot transfer to Kakao Page or Kakao Webtoon, and virtual currency is non-refundable. Personal data exports are available but exclude saved comics and files.
TurtleMe, the author of The Beginning After the End, said the future of his series is unclear after Kakao Entertainment announced the shutdown of Tapas. Kakao confirmed the closure on September 22, 2026, with operations set to wind down by the end of the year. The press release did not give a timeline or explain what will happen to the titles hosted on the platform. According to Animehunch, neither Tapas employees nor the artists were told before Kakao went to the press. TurtleMe wrote on his official X account that he is still in shock and does not know what comes next. He said he will do everything in his power to keep The Beginning After the End and Soul Forged going, and asked readers to follow creators on their social accounts to keep supporting them beyond Tapas. The platform reportedly hosts over 100,000 titles from 75,000 creators.
Kakao Entertainment announced on August 14 that it will merge three wholly owned story content subsidiaries: Samyang C&C, Intime, and Pilyeon Management. The companies approved the merger at board meetings on August 12 and plan to complete it by the end of the year. The merged company will keep the Samyang C&C name, led by CEO Sung-taek Cha. The three firms develop webtoons and web novels across romance fantasy and martial arts genres, covering production, publishing, merchandise, and adaptations into live-action and animation.
Kakao Entertainment launched Tomb Raider King: Endline, a sequel to the hit franchise, on Kakao Page. The webtoon debuted July 5, followed by the web novel July 6. The sequel continues the story of Joo-heon Seo after the original series. The anime adaptation also began airing in Japan on July 8, directed by Seung Wook Woo at STUDIO EEK, with Crunchyroll streaming.