Line Digital Frontier, which operates the Japanese service of Naver Webtoon, has invested in and acquired shares of local electronic comics agency Number Nine Co., Ltd. to accelerate the establishment of a creative ecosystem in Japan.
Established in Japan in 2016, Number Nine Co., Ltd. started out as an electronic comics brokerage service and recently expanded its business to become a webtoon production studio. The webtoons produced by Number Nine Co., Ltd., such as "Shinhyeol's Savior" and "Only I, the Strongest Transcendent One," were very popular, ranking in the TOP 10 of the "Line Manga 2024 Ranking" last year. These works are also available in Korean, English, French, and other languages through Naver Webtoon's global service.
Kim Jun-goo, CEO of Webtoon Entertainment and Naver Webtoon, said, “Our efforts to build a creative ecosystem in Japan are leading to the solid growth of our business in Japan and the production of hit works,” and “We expect that the two companies, which made ‘The Savior of the New Blood’ a global hit, will expand their partnership to present competitive works to readers around the world.”
This investment is the first investment by Webtoon Entertainment, the parent company of Line Digital Frontier, in a studio producing webtoons in Japan. Through this partnership, Webtoon Entertainment plans to further expand the creative ecosystem that led to Naver Webtoon’s successful entry into the global market in Japan and strengthen its leadership in global storytelling content.
'Line Manga', operated by Line Digital Frontier, has solidified its position as the number one comic app in terms of sales in the entire Japanese app market, including games.
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