TurtleMe Says Future of The Beginning After the End Is Unclear After Tapas Shutdown
Kakao is winding down Tapas after acquiring it in 2021 in a deal valued at about USD 950 million, and the shutdown leaves creators without a home or a timeline for their work.
Key Facts
- Kakao Entertainment announced the shutdown of Tapas on September 22, 2026, with operations set to wind down by the end of the year.
- Tapas reportedly hosts over 100,000 titles from 75,000 creators.
- TurtleMe has published The Beginning After the End and Soul Forged on Tapas for eight years.
- Kakao acquired Tapas and Radish in 2021 in a deal valued at approximately 1.1 trillion won (USD 950 million).
- Kakao reported an 88.9 billion won goodwill impairment loss in fourth-quarter 2023 earnings, with Tapas accounting for 46 billion won.
Reporting from 2 sources: Anime Corner, Animehunch.
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.
TurtleMe's post addressed the makers of the platform as well as its readers. "To the creators, fans, and staff of Tapas, thank you for all the love, guidance, and memories over these 8 years," he wrote. "Though the platform may be gone, I believe the impact of this wonderful community will last forever."
Tapas was the home of both The Beginning After the End and Soul Forged for eight years, and the shutdown follows other trouble for the franchise. Fuyuki23, the former illustrator of the manhwa, left the project, which put the series on an extended hiatus for almost a year until Tapas picked it up.
The closure sits at the end of a longer retreat by Kakao Entertainment. In 2021 Kakao spent about 1.1 trillion won (roughly USD 950 million) to acquire Tapas and the web novel platform Radish, valuing them at about USD 510 million and USD 440 million. Radish shut down last year, with Kakao saying it would concentrate on Tapas instead. The two had merged in 2022 under Tapas Entertainment, and Kakao had already begun liquidating Tapas Korea. Kakao posted an 88.9 billion won (about USD 67 million) goodwill impairment loss in its fourth-quarter 2023 earnings, with Tapas accounting for 46 billion won (about USD 35 million) of that.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 2 cited sources below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.