Notice

This collaboration will enable new fandom experiences on WEBTOON, allowing Creators to bring their characters to life as interactive avatars that can share hidden lore, backstories, and more! These experiences mark a new chapter for fans, who can now go beyond reading to chat and interact, uncover new stories, and collect exclusive digital items, creating new ways to engage with the characters and story universes they love. This program is fully opt-in. 

You can find our full press release with more information about our work with Genies here. We know Creators will have questions about this new partnership, so we’re sharing more about what this means for them.  

Watch for additional updates as this program evolves and we introduce new features and monetization. 

Q: What are these new digital experiences?

As part of our partnership with Genies, we are developing character-driven chat and digital experiences that will give Creators a new way to expand their narrative universes and enable fans to engage more deeply with their favorite stories and characters. These will take two forms: 

• Interactive 3D Character Avatars: Participating Creators who opt in can bring their characters to life as interactive 3D avatars on WEBTOON. Users can unlock avatars when they read a series by a participating Creator.

• Digital Collectibles and Side Stories as Engagement Rewards: Participating Creators who choose to join the program will be able to offer items from their stories as digital collectibles and develop side stories that are experienced through interacting with the character avatar. At launch, users will be able to earn digital collectibles and unlock side stories by logging-in and reading series from participating Creators.

Q: Is this an opt-in program?  

Absolutely. This program is strictly opt-in. No avatars or digital collectibles are developed for a series without explicit creator involvement and approval. WEBTOON will launch the program as a closed beta with a select group of participating Creators, before expanding to the broader Creator community and introducing new monetization features. This is creator-first fandom technology.

Q: How are Creators involved in the development of character avatars?

Creators are involved at defined stages throughout the development process, with formal approval required at each milestone before work progresses. To bring a character to life, Creators provide concept art showing the character from various angles, along with background materials covering their personality, how they express themselves, and the world they live in.

From there, that material shapes the character’s visual identity, personality, and the topics they can speak to. Creators can also refine which topics the character can discuss, keeping the experience true to the story and the fandom it serves.

From initial concept through design review and a dedicated pre-launch testing phase, Creators get the chance to evaluate how their characters look, feel, and interact before anything goes live for readers.

WEBTOON has built a mandatory multi-stage approval process specifically to ensure Creators are satisfied with the final avatars. Creators review and approve all assets before launch. 

Q: Does this impact my IP rights? 

As with everything we do at WEBTOON, we respect Creators’ IP rights and are committed to preserving them throughout. Creators do not give up any ownership of their IP as used in the avatars and digital collectibles.

Q: If this technology is underpinned by AI, does it train on Creator art? Can an avatar appear outside of WEBTOON?

No. Creator art is not used to train Genies' general-purpose models or reproduce an avatar outside of WEBTOON. Any use of Creator materials is strictly limited to the specific approved experience on WEBTOON. 

Q: How can fans interact with the character avatars?
This is fandom technology. When fans interact with a character avatar, they are going deeper into the story and lore for that narrative universe. 

Fans will get a new perspective on episodes they have already read, allowing them to experience key story moments directly with the avatar. As fans read more, they can unlock Creator-developed side stories through the avatar to experience the story’s world and characters beyond the main narrative.

Each interaction is designed to feel authentic to the character and true to the Creator's original vision.

Q: How will this create new revenue opportunities for Creators?

In addition to creating a powerful new tool for sustained fan connection and engagement, this program will add a new monetization stream for creators through select premium items to be introduced at a later phase. We’ll share more about monetization features in a subsequent phase of the partnership. 

Q: When can readers expect to see avatars on the app? 

The program is targeting a summer 2026 rollout, beginning with a curated group of Creator-approved titles, including The Greatest Estate Developer and The Knight Only Lives Today.

Q: Where can I find these digital experiences?

Readers will be able to discover, earn, and manage their digital collectibles through dedicated spaces within the app, including the series title page and a new Collections section. 

Additional details on the in-app experience will be shared closer to launch.

Q: Do the creators develop these new story elements?

The story elements and the source of the chat will be solely from the Creators who know best how to expand their story universes and reach their fans. 

Q: Who is eligible to participate in the (Beta) Program? How can I be included in the program?

The program will initially launch with a small curated group of Creators. Eligibility criteria and details on how to turn your characters into digital avatars will be shared as the program expands.