One of the growing digital publishers of webcomics and novels, Tapas Media, Inc., has been acquired by Kakao Entertainment as of May 11th. This brand new acquisition will expand Kakao Entertainment’s original content business in North America and other English-speaking regions on a global scale.
Tapas is home to thousands of creators’ stories and works to help storytellers publish their work, build fan communities, and earn rewards from their creative labor. A pioneer of mobile storytelling platforms in the US the company has found success in the rapidly growing mobile stories market with more than 8 billion page views of 96,000 original series – both webcomics and digital novels.
“We’re so thrilled to join forces with Kakao Entertainment. To me, it just makes perfect sense. Kakao Entertainment is relatively unknown outside of Asia, but they’re an entertainment content juggernaut with a massive library of original IP, which can be introduced to the US audience through the Tapas platform,” says Chang Kim, CEO and Founder, Tapas Media, Inc. “Meanwhile, with Kakao Entertainment’s backing, we will continue the exact same mission, but with on a bigger scale. This merger means a change of cap table, not of mission. Our team, our unique company culture, and our awesome creator community – everything will stay the same.”
Additionally, Tapas has also announced Scholastic signing global publishing rights for the critically-acclaimed Studio Tapas original series Magical Boy – releasing as a graphic novel on November 2, 2021; a partnership with Zoic Studios for television and cross-platform adaptation of the AI thriller Tapas original Mnemosyne, and Frolic Media and Madison Wells are producing a scripted podcast and developing the TV adaptation of the modern office-place romance series Yes, My Boss!
This new partnership is sure to bring even more stories to fans and avid readers of webcomics!
