STORYTACO
STORYTACO is a South Korean game developer and publisher specializing in story-based romance, BL, otome, and FMV mobile and PC games, distributing 40+ titles across six storefronts in 176 countries for a primarily female 18-35 global audience.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2018
- HeadquartersGasandong, South Korea
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingSoftware
STORYTACO firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- STORYTACO
- Legal name
- 주식회사 스토리타코
- Website
- https://storytaco.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2018
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- STORYTACO is a South Korean game developer and publisher specializing in story-based romance, BL, otome, and FMV mobile and PC games, distributing 40+ titles across six storefronts in 176 countries for a primarily female 18-35 global audience.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
STORYTACO industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Interactive Entertainment / Mobile Gaming
- akta.pro primary industry
- Narrative/Adventure & RPG Game Studios (MPAFAAAL)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Full-Service Game Publishers (1st/2nd/3rd-Party Publishing) (MPAFABAA)
Keywords
Where STORYTACO is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Gasandong
- HQ country
- South Korea
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices1 record
Markets served
STORYTACO business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- In-App Purchases (IAP): Free-to-play mobile and PC games monetized through in-app purchases of virtual items, currencies, and premium content. Primary revenue driver for the company's extensive game portfolio.
- Publishing Services Revenue: Storytaco provides comprehensive publishing services to third-party developers including pre-publishing support, multi-platform porting, localization (19+ languages), UA marketing, and live operations. Revenue generated from publishing fees or revenue-sharing arrangements with partner studios.
- Licensing and IP Royalties: Storytaco licenses its own IP and partners with external IP holders (D&C Media, Kidari Studio, Naver Webtoon) to develop games, generating revenue through IP licensing fees and co-development arrangements.
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels8 records
Marketing channels5 records
STORYTACO product offering
Product offeringCore offering
STORYTACO is a Korean mobile and PC game developer and publisher specializing in story-based interactive games, with a focus on romance, otome, and BL (Boys' Love) visual novels. The company develops, publishes, and distributes its own titles across Google Play, App Store, Steam, Epic Games Store, Nintendo, PlayStation, and STOVE, and also provides publishing services to third-party developers seeking multi-platform distribution.
Product overview
STORYTACO is a Korean mobile and PC game developer specializing in interactive story-based romance games for a global audience. The company operates across mobile (Android/iOS via Google Play and App Store) and PC (Steam, Epic Games Store, STOVE) platforms, with expanding presence on console (PlayStation, Nintendo). The core product portfolio centers on otome/romance visual novels with branching narratives where player choices shape outcomes and multiple endings. Key titles include Dangerous Fellows (the founding title), Blood kiss (5M+ downloads, webtoon-adapted), Five Hearts Under One Roof (multi-platform hit), and newer FMV titles. The product mix spans pure romance visual novels, BL (Boys' Love) romance, FMV games with live-action video, card-collectible RPGs, and deck-building roguelikes. STORYTACO also operates a comprehensive publishing services division offering external developers full-cycle support from pre-publishing planning through multi-platform porting, localization in 19+ languages, regional distribution across North America, Asia, South America, and Europe, China market entry, community management, performance marketing, live operations, and IP expansion. The company manages over 40 games distributed in 176 countries with 30M cumulative downloads and 1.5M monthly active users (2024).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Story-based Romance/Otome Visual Novel Games Self-developed free-to-play romance, otome, and BL (Boys' Love) interactive visual novel games distributed globally on Google Play, App Store, Steam, Epic Games Store, Nintendo, PlayStation, and STOVE. Targeted at mobile and PC gamers who enjoy narrative-driven interactive entertainment.
- Game Publishing Services Third-party game publishing and distribution service for independent developers, providing STORYTACO's established multi-platform reach and operational infrastructure across 176 countries.
Quantifiable outcome
- 30M+ cumulative downloads
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use STORYTACO
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles2 records
STORYTACO technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration8 records
STORYTACO partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and foundational.
- Naver Webtoon (네이버웹툰)coreStorytaco was selected for Naver Webtoon's IP-based game production support program. The company is developing Couple Breaker based on Naver Webtoon IP. Additionally, Blood Kiss began webtoon serialization in partnership with Naver Webtoon in 2024 (Korea, US, Thailand).
- Kidari Studio (키다리 스튜디오)coreIn 2023, Storytaco signed a joint development agreement with Kidari Studio for a large-scale collectible RPG based on Kidari Studio's webtoon IP. The partnership expanded in 2025 with the release of Zerowake GATES, a BL collectible RPG built on Kidari Studio's IP.
- Tilting PointcoreStorytaco signed a $10 million publishing contract with Tilting Point for the game Dangerous Fellows in 2021. Tilting Point served as the Western publisher, providing publishing, marketing, and operational support for the title in international markets.
- D&C Media (디앤씨미디어)foundationalStorytaco signed a content licensing (IP utilization) agreement with D&C Media at founding in 2018, enabling Storytaco to develop and publish games based on D&C Media's content/IP.
Scale indicators11 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
STORYTACO competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Cheritz: Korean indie studio behind "Mystic Messenger" and other romance/otome mobile titles; competes with STORYTACO in the same Korean-developed niche for global female otome audiences.
- Otomate (Idea Factory): Japan's leading otome and visual novel publisher; comparable in genre specialization (otome, BL, romance, branching narrative) and global mobile/console release cadence, making it a benchmark for STORYTACO's roadmap into Nintendo and PlayStation.
- NTT Solmare: Operates the popular "Shall we date?" otome/BL mobile game line with global distribution — directly comparable business model (mobile-first romance visual novels, multi-language localization, paid freemium).
- Voltage Entertainment USA: Voltage develops and publishes otome and romance mobile visual novels globally — the closest direct competitor to STORYTACO's romance/BL portfolio, with similar IAP monetization, multi-platform rollout, and Western localization strategy.
- Genius Inc: Japanese developer of romance and BL story apps with strong global install base; provides a comparable benchmark for genre monetization, content cadence, and overseas (English/Korean) localization strategy.
- Buff Studio (visual novels): Develops English-first romance and BL visual novels on Steam and mobile; mirrors STORYTACO's recent PC-first push and multi-platform romance simulation portfolio.
Regional players
- LINE Games: Korean mobile and PC game publisher with adjacent genre overlap (story-driven and casual titles); useful as a regional peer for Korean-market publishing and distribution strategies.
Others
- Tilting Point: Major mobile game publisher that signed the $10M publishing deal with STORYTACO for Dangerous Fellows; not a direct competitor but a key ecosystem partner providing a useful comparison for global publishing scale.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
STORYTACO social profiles
Digital presenceSTORYTACO financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
STORYTACO leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
STORYTACO funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
STORYTACO 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 STORYTACO
What does STORYTACO do?
STORYTACO is a Korean mobile and PC game developer and publisher specializing in story-based interactive games, with a focus on romance, otome, and BL (Boys' Love) visual novels. The company develops, publishes, and distributes its own titles across Google Play, App Store, Steam, Epic Games Store, Nintendo, PlayStation, and STOVE, and also provides publishing services to third-party developers seeking multi-platform distribution.
Is STORYTACO a public or private company?
STORYTACO is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was STORYTACO founded?
STORYTACO was founded in 2018. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is STORYTACO based?
STORYTACO is headquartered in Gasandong, South Korea, in the Asia region.
How does STORYTACO make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. In-App Purchases (IAP) is the primary driver. The others are publishing Services Revenue and licensing and IP Royalties.
Who are STORYTACO's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Cheritz, Otomate (Idea Factory), NTT Solmare, Voltage Entertainment USA, Genius Inc and Buff Studio (visual novels). LINE Games is listed as a regional player. Tilting Point is listed as an others.
Does STORYTACO have an API?
No public API is recorded for STORYTACO.
What industry is STORYTACO in?
STORYTACO's product category is Interactive Entertainment / Mobile Gaming. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAFAAAL, Narrative/Adventure & RPG Game Studios, with a secondary code of MPAFABAA, Full-Service Game Publishers (1st/2nd/3rd-Party Publishing).