Metatoon
Metatoon is a Seoul-based global webtoon IP production studio that produces female-oriented romance, romance fantasy, and BL content, supplying 450+ titles across 22 domestic and 33 global platforms in 11 languages via its proprietary NextToon workflow system.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2023
- HeadquartersSeoul, South Korea
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Metatoon does
Metatoon is a Seoul-based global webtoon IP production studio founded in 2023, specializing in female-oriented webtoon content including romance, romance fantasy, BL, and novel-to-comics adaptations. The studio operates a B2B2C model, producing content that it supplies through exclusive and co-publishing agreements with 22 domestic Korean platforms (Kakao, Naver, Ridi, Spring Toon, Lezhin, Mr. Blue, Bomtoon, NHN Comico) and 33+ global platforms (Tapas, Piccoma, Manta, Line Manga, Tappytoon, Amazon Fliptoon, Lezhin US/JP) across 11 languages. As of 2025, Metatoon produced 94 new titles (with a 150-title 2026 target) and cumulatively 450+ titles, serving approximately 233 webtoons globally.
The company's core proprietary technology is NextToon, a patent-pending webtoon production process management system that supports creator matching, workflow coordination, and data management. NextToon underpins a self-serve creator platform that has onboarded approximately 3,800+ webtoon creators, plus structured compensation (Conti 300,000 KRW + 5% RS, Line art 700,000 KRW + 15-20% RS, Coloring 450,000 KRW) with bi-monthly payment cycles. Metatoon also operates Meta XR Studio, a Unity engine-based AR/VR/XR content production division targeting enterprise training, education, and industrial safety applications, and runs PD Academy for talent cultivation.
Metatoon generates revenue through licensing royalties and platform supply agreements for its webtoon content, supported by performance marketing services (monthly budgets exceeding 50 million KRW) and a Distribution Agency service handling multi-language translation and platform coordination. 2025 audited revenue reached 57.3 billion KRW (a 1.83x increase from 31.4 billion KRW in 2024) with 47 consecutive quarters of operating profitability. The company is privately held, has signed designated advisor and lead underwriter contracts with Kyobo Securities (2025) in preparation for a potential IPO, and has secured triple innovation certifications (Venture Company, Inno-Biz, Main-Biz) from Korean government authorities.
Metatoon firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Metatoon
- Legal name
- 주식회사 메타툰
- Website
- https://metatoon.co.kr
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2023
- Operating status
- Operating
- Short description
- Metatoon is a Seoul-based global webtoon IP production studio that produces female-oriented romance, romance fantasy, and BL content, supplying 450+ titles across 22 domestic and 33 global platforms in 11 languages via its proprietary NextToon workflow system.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Metatoon is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Seoul
- HQ country
- South Korea
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices2 records
Markets served
Metatoon business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Webtoon Production and Supply: Metatoon produces webtoons and supplies them to domestic and global platforms through exclusive publishing contracts. Revenue comes from platform licensing fees and content supply agreements.
- Platform Services and IP Licensing: Revenue from multi-language content distribution across global platforms, including English, Japanese, Traditional Chinese, Thai, French, Spanish, German, Indonesian, Italian, Portuguese, and Chinese.
- Creator Platform Services: NextToon platform provides creator support, matching, and workflow management services for webtoon production ecosystem.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Conti (storyboard) work: 300,000 KRW per episode + 5% revenue share |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels5 records
Metatoon product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Metatoon is a creative production studio that produces webtoon IP, primarily novel-comics and female-oriented genres (romance, romance fantasy, BL), supplying them to 22 domestic and 33+ global platforms through exclusive publishing contracts. The company operates the proprietary NextToon platform for production workflow management and creator matching, and runs the Meta XR Studio division producing AR/VR/XR training content. Revenue comes from platform licensing fees, content supply agreements, and creator support services.
Product overview
Metatoon is a webtoon IP production studio offering a platform-plus-services model. The core offering is the Webtoon Production Studio (웹툰 제작 스튜디오), which produces novel-comics adapted from web novels, along with romance, romance fantasy, and BL genre webtoons. Supporting this are: NextToon (넥스트툰), a proprietary webtoon writer support platform for production management; PD Academy for talent development; Writer Support Program providing upfront payments and transparent settlements; Distribution Agency for global reach; Digital Marketing for performance promotion; and Meta XR Studio for AR/VR/XR content. The studio also runs ongoing webtoon contests (Meta Fair, NextToon Contest) to discover new talent.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- NextToon (넥스트툰): Webtoon writer support platform for creator management, matching, and project coordination
- Meta XR Studio (메타 XR 스튜디오)
- Meta Contest (메타 공모전)
Products and services
- Webtoon Production Studio (웹툰 제작 스튜디오) Core webtoon IP production studio specializing in novel-comics (web novels adapted to webtoons), romance, romance fantasy, and BL genres. Provides end-to-end services from planning and production to domestic and global distribution for webtoon platforms.
- NextToon (넥스트툰) A webtoon writer support platform that Metatoon self-develops and operates to manage the webtoon production process, including artist matching, workflow coordination, and project management for rapid and systematic webtoon production.
- Meta XR Studio (메타 XR 스튜디오) An AR/VR/XR content production division offering virtual reality training solutions, augmented reality experiences, and metaverse content creation for enterprise clients, educational institutions, and government organizations.
- Webtoon Contest (웹툰 공모전) Ongoing contest programs including Meta Fair and NextToon Contest for discovering and recruiting new webtoon artists and writers, offering prize money and guaranteed webtoon debut opportunities for winners.
Quantifiable outcome
- 100% completion rate (0 discontinued series)
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Metatoon
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Metatoon technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Metatoon partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Amazon FliptooncoreExclusive webtoon supply partnership for Japanese market targeting the 4 trillion KRW digital manga market.
- Korea University of Media and Arts (KUMA)coreAcademic-industry partnership for cultivating on-site talent. Includes talent recommendation, joint curriculum development, employment consulting, job lectures, internships, and mutual professional support.
- Korean Webtoon Industry Association (한국웹툰산업협회)minorCEO Kim Jae-hoon appointed as board member. Participation in industry policy development, platform collaboration, and global big tech partnerships.
- Lockmedia (로크미디어)corePublishing partnership for novel-comics contest collaboration, priority IP rights provision for novel-comics production, and OSMU based on webtoon IP.
- Tapas, Piccoma, Manta, Line Manga, Tappytoon, Lezhin US/JP, FunguidecoreGlobal distribution partnerships across 33+ platforms in 11 languages for webtoon content supply.
Scale indicators16 records
Recent moves9 records
Expansion highlights7 records
Metatoon competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Haksan Culture Company: Long-established Korean webtoon publisher producing content across multiple genres for distribution on major domestic platforms. Closely comparable to Metatoon in role as a third-party B2B production studio for the Korean webtoon ecosystem.
- D&C Media: Korean webtoon and web novel publisher and production studio that supplies content to multiple platforms, structurally similar to Metatoon's B2B production model. Operates in overlapping romance and novel-comics genres and competes for the same platform customers.
- Daewon C.I. Major Korean manga and webtoon publisher with in-house production capabilities supplying content to Korean webtoon platforms. Comparable in business model to Metatoon as a production-side supplier rather than a platform owner.
- Toomics: Korean webtoon platform with original production capabilities targeting global markets, including Southeast Asia and Europe. Comparable to Metatoon in combining Korean production expertise with multi-language international distribution.
- Contents Lab Blue (Bomtoon): Korean webtoon platform with significant in-house production focused on romance and BL genres, directly competing with Metatoon for similar female reader segments. Operates both as a platform distributor and as an original IP producer.
- NHN Comico: Korean-Japanese webtoon platform with in-house production studio that produces and distributes original webtoon IP. Hybrid platform-plus-studio model that overlaps with Metatoon's B2B production focus while also competing as a distribution channel.
Broad incumbents
- Lezhin Entertainment: Established Korean webtoon platform with substantial in-house production arm (Lezhin Studios) producing premium and mature content. Major industry incumbent that both competes with Metatoon for talent and serves as a customer for Metatoon-produced titles.
- Kakao Entertainment: Korea's largest entertainment platform group operating KakaoPage, Kakao Webtoon, Piccoma, and Tapas with significant in-house production (Studio N). Metatoon's largest customer relationship but also the dominant incumbent competitor vertically integrating production.
- Webtoon Entertainment (Naver): Largest global webtoon platform (Naver Webtoon, Line Manga) with massive in-house production capabilities and global distribution reach. Functions as both a key customer for Metatoon's content and the dominant incumbent competitor for creator talent and audience attention.
Emerging players
- Tapas Media: English-language webtoon and web novel platform with original IP production, increasingly focused on novel-to-comics adaptations similar to Metatoon's specialty. Smaller scale than Korean incumbents but overlapping content model and global English-speaking audience.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Metatoon social profiles
Digital presenceMetatoon compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance5 records
Metatoon financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Metatoon leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Metatoon funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Metatoon M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Metatoon
What does Metatoon do?
Metatoon is a creative production studio that produces webtoon IP, primarily novel-comics and female-oriented genres (romance, romance fantasy, BL), supplying them to 22 domestic and 33+ global platforms through exclusive publishing contracts. The company operates the proprietary NextToon platform for production workflow management and creator matching, and runs the Meta XR Studio division producing AR/VR/XR training content. Revenue comes from platform licensing fees, content supply agreements, and creator support services.
Is Metatoon a public or private company?
Metatoon is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was Metatoon founded?
Metatoon was founded in 2023.
Where is Metatoon based?
Metatoon is headquartered in Seoul, South Korea, in the Asia region.
How does Metatoon make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Webtoon Production and Supply is the primary driver. The others are platform Services and IP Licensing and creator Platform Services.
Who are Metatoon's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Haksan Culture Company, D&C Media, Daewon C.I., Toomics, Contents Lab Blue (Bomtoon) and NHN Comico. Broad incumbents are Lezhin Entertainment, Kakao Entertainment and Webtoon Entertainment (Naver). Tapas Media is listed as an emerging player.
Does Metatoon have an API?
No public API is recorded for Metatoon.