Webtoon Entertainment bets on gaming to expand its global IP business

August 11, 2026 - 01:15

Webtoon Entertainment is shifting gears, with its chief financial officer David Lee expressing strong confidence in the company's future. The core of that optimism? A major push into gaming as a way to turn its popular webtoon stories into bigger, more interactive franchises. Lee says the move is about taking the intellectual property the company already owns and giving fans new ways to step inside those worlds, not just read about them.

Beyond gaming, the company is also looking at artificial intelligence, but not in the way you might expect. Lee was careful to frame AI as a tool to support human creators, not replace them. The idea is to use AI to help artists and writers speed up repetitive tasks, freeing them up for the kind of storytelling that only people can do. At the same time, Webtoon wants to use AI to build deeper connections with its audience, tailoring recommendations and creating more personalized fan experiences.

It is a balancing act. On one hand, the company wants to grow aggressively through new revenue streams like games. On the other, it needs to keep the creative community that fuels its platform feeling valued and supported. Lee's comments suggest that Webtoon sees these two goals as linked, not opposed. If the gaming push works, it could bring in new audiences and more money, which in turn can be reinvested into the creator ecosystem. For now, the company is betting that a mix of interactive entertainment and smart tech will keep its stories relevant far beyond the page.