Kakao Entertainment is shutting down Tapas and merging its South Korean platforms Kakao Page and Kakao Webtoon into a single Kakao Page-centered service by the end of 2026. The company also merged three story content subsidiaries into Samyang C&C and continues to launch new titles on Kakao Page.
Kakao Entertainment is consolidating its webtoon and web novel businesses on several fronts. In August 2026 the company said it would merge three wholly owned story content subsidiaries, Samyang C&C, Intime, and Pilyeon Management, into a single company under the Samyang C&C name, led by CEO Sung-taek Cha. The merger is scheduled to complete by the end of the year.
Weeks later, Kakao Entertainment announced it would close its North American platform Tapas and merge its South Korean services Kakao Page and Kakao Webtoon into a single service centered on Kakao Page by the end of 2026. The consolidation will gather content, user data, and about 16,000 original IPs onto Kakao Page. Kakao Entertainment plans to use the combined platforms' payment and subscription data to develop AI-based content recommendations. An updated FAQ set the Tapas service end date at March 31, 2027, and said unlocked episodes, unspent Ink balances, and purchases cannot transfer to Kakao Page or Kakao Webtoon. Tapas stopped selling Ink and disabled free-currency earning on Oct. 1. Personal data exports are available but exclude saved comics and files.
The shutdown drew a response from creators. TurtleMe, author of The Beginning After the End, said the future of his series is unclear after the closure, which Kakao confirmed on September 22, 2026 following a press release that gave no timeline for hosted titles. Kakao acquired Tapas in 2021 in a deal valued at about USD 950 million. TurtleMe said on his official X account that he was still in shock and did not know what comes next, and said he will do everything in his power to keep The Beginning After the End and Soul Forged going.
On the content side, Kakao Entertainment launched Tomb Raider King: Endline, a sequel to the franchise, on Kakao Page on July 5, 2026, with the web novel following on July 6. An anime adaptation of the franchise began airing in Japan on July 8, directed by Seung Wook Woo at STUDIO EEK, with Crunchyroll streaming.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the cited Yomimono stories below, each itself
sourced, then editorially reviewed. Every
fact links the story it came from.
Oct 3
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.
Oct 2
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.
Sep 24
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.
Aug 17
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.
Jul 9
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.