RI Games Holdings: WEBTOON acquires 60% stake

What's the deal? WEBTOON EntertainmentDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → (Nasdaq: WBTN) has agreed to buy a 60% majority stake in RI Games HoldingsDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → for roughly $100M in cash. The deal gives the webcomic platform a dedicated pipeline to turn hit series into games.

How is it structured? The acquisition will close in two instalments — an initial closing shortly after signing, and a second later, each subject to conditions. WEBTOON is funding the purchase with cash on hand.

What each side brings: WEBTOON adapts stories across animation, television, film, publishing and games. RI Games, founded in 2022, runs two studios, GrayGamesDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → and OffbeatDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, with developers whose credits include MapleStory M, Tower of God: New World and Lineage W.

What's the endgame? The pair plan to launch multiple games over the next four years, built on proven intellectual property. Titles in the slate draw on Overgeared (1.3B global views), Doom Breaker (590M views) and Omniscient Reader (3.05B views).

Why now? Leading the lineup is a new action MMORPG based on Overgeared, developed by GrayGames and published by NEXONDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, set for global launch later in 2026. It is timed to an anime adaptation premiering in October 2026, coordinating a cross-media rollout.

The signal: WEBTOON is deepening its bet that owning IP end-to-end — from webcomic to anime to game — compounds fandom across formats. By taking a controlling stake rather than licensing, it moves closer to the value it has long created for streaming partners like Netflix and Disney+Dealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →.

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Image credit: Generated with Gemini