Kakao Entertainment plans to shut down the North American webtoon platform soon.
Korean internet conglomerate Kakao Entertainment announced on 22 September that it’s planning to shut down its North American web novel and webtoon platform Tapas. This new comes after Kakao was revealed to be investing SK₩ 1.1 trillion (about US$ 780 million) to acquire Tapas and the webnovel platform Radish. Suffice to say, the creators and fans didn’t take the news well. TurtleMe, the author of popular webnovel and webtoon series The Beginning After the End, took to X (formerly Twitter) to share his feelings about the sudden shutdown.
What did TurtleMe say about the Tapas shutdown?
TurtleMe posted a series of statements, which said:
You’ve probably seen the news by now: Tapas, the company that currently produces and publishes the TBATE comic and Soul Forged novel, is shutting down. For the past 8 years, Tapas has been my home, our home.
I’m still trying to understand what exactly is going on, but suffice to say, I’m still in shock. I don’t know what comes next, so please bear with me while I try to figure things out with Tapas.
What I can tell you is this:
I will do everything in my power to make sure our series keeps going. I know we’ve been through a lot and I appreciate everyone who has given us grace in figuring it all out.
And lastly, I urge you to reach out to your favorite creators on Tapas and let them know how much they’ve meant to you. It always felt like we had more time to give our thanks to all of those who made this place possible, and I truly wish that there was more time.
A lot of creators like myself are in the dark and unsure of what comes next, so be sure to follow them on their socials to help continue supporting them beyond Tapas.
To the creators, fans, and staff of Tapas, thank you for all the love, guidance, and memories over these 8 years. Though the platform may be gone, I believe the impact of this wonderful community will last forever.
I’ll update you when I can.
TurtleMe’s TBATE webnovel’s manhwa adaptation, as well as his Soul Forged webnovel are currently serialised in Tapas.
The Beginning After the End also received an anime adaptation in 2025, with a second season airing in 2026. Crunchyroll streams the anime and describes the story as:
After a mysterious death, King Grey is reborn as Arthur Leywin on the magical continent of Dicathen. Although he enters his second life as a baby, his previous wisdom remains. He begins to master magic and forge his own path as the years go by, seeking to correct the mistakes of his past life.
Although the Tapas shutdown news came on Tuesday, no other details about the refunds or handling of user data was revealed by Kakao.
Kakao acquired Tapas and Radish in 2021, and merged the two platforms together into Tapas Entertainment in 2022. In 2025, Radish was shut down. And with the shutdown of Tapas, Kakao Entertainment will effectively end its direct operations in North American webtoon and webnovel platforms.