Creating 'universes': How webtoons, games and AI are transforming fan experience

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Creating 'universes': How webtoons, games and AI are transforming fan experience

Published: 24 Jun. 2025, 11:09 Updated: 24 Jun. 2025, 22:28

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Webtoon Entertainment, the parent company of Naver Webtoon, was listed on the Nasdaq, on June 27, 2024. Pictured is an ad in New York’s Times Square featuring the Japanese webtoon series ″Senpai is an Otokonoko″ (2023-25), one of the company’s flagship titles. [NAVER WEBTOON]

It's a world of “universes” — content companies are taking their intellectual property (IP) and creating whole new dimensions of work that reach beyond their original work. Allowing fans to speak to webtoon characters in an online chat room or turning a whole cafe into a drama series character's room, creators are getting more creative in hopes of building their very own successful franchise.

Like the Marvel Cinematic Universe, a “universe” in the content industry refers to more than just a setting or backdrop. It includes the proprietary history, narratives and internal logic that define a fictional world. These elements remain consistent across sequels, remakes and other spinoffs.

Recently, web novels, webtoons and TV series IPs have begun branching into games, AI chat services and more. Whereas it was once typical for web novels or webtoons to be adapted into video content, new applications are now emerging that prioritize the universe itself as the core asset.

One standout example is Naver Webtoon’s Character Chat, a service that celebrated its first anniversary this year. The platform allows users to converse directly with webtoon characters, preserving the original universe and dialogue style. When a user initiates a conversation, the character responds in tone and language faithful to the source material.

The service originally launched with four characters but now features 12, including characters from “My In-Laws are Obsessed with Me” (2020) and “The Sound of Your Heart” (2006). As of this month, the service has accumulated approximately 3.5 million users and more than 100 million messages. Naver Webtoon subsidiary Studio Lico has also launched “Tarotoon,” a character-driven tarot and fortune-telling service that builds on the same idea.

A sample conversation on Naver Webtoon's Character Chat service [NAVER WEBTOON]

Gaming is another expanding frontier. In April, Netflix released the seventh season of its anthology series “Black Mirror” (2021-), along with a real-world version of the virtual pet simulator “Thronglets,” featured in one of its episodes. The company has also launched several mobile games based on successful series universes, including “Squid Game” (2021-) and “Stranger Things” (2016).

Korean game developer Netmarble recently launched a game based on the web novel “Solo Leveling” (2016), which shares its title with the original web novel series. The game generated $70 million in cumulative revenue within a month of release.

Kakao Entertainment is also looking to extend webtoon and drama universes into fan community platforms like Berriz. In April, the company opened an online community for the drama “Bunny and Her Oppas” (2019), based on a webtoon of the same name. The protagonists interact with fans by posting updates and participating in chats, much like real-life celebrities.

“We launched Berriz with the intention of creating a space for users to engage with IP-based video content online,” said a Kakao Entertainment spokesperson. “Even after a series ends, many fans stay active in the community to hold onto the story’s emotional impact.”

A screenshot of the fan community for ″Bunny and Her Oppas″ [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Expanding content universes in this way helps extend the life span of IP and generate recurring revenue. By continuously supplying content, platforms can sustain public interest and fandom, ensuring that hard-won popularity doesn’t fade after a single hit. This approach can also unlock new revenue streams.

According to Naver Webtoon, several Character Chat titles are either completed or on hiatus, but users continue to enjoy and share their chat experiences within online communities. “A new culture is forming where fans revisit and engage with stories through AI interaction,” said a Naver Webtoon representative.

Expanding IP universes also boost primary content consumption. In a two-month analysis, Naver Webtoon found that Character Chat users showed an 8 percent increase in app visits, a 7 percent increase in reading activity and a 4 percent rise in payments.

Netflix echoed the sentiment.

“By introducing games, we’re expanding our universes so fans can deepen their engagement with our series and films while enjoying diverse types of content,” said a Netflix spokesperson.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY KIM MIN-JEONG [[email protected]]