"One of the largest clients for our webtoon advertising business is game companies. In particular, we held meetings with Chinese game company representatives at this year's TGS (Tokyo Game Show) 2026."
Naver Webtoon, which opened a B2B (business-to-business) booth at TGS 2026, is expected to achieve significant results. Noh Gyu-ho, Head of Global Advertising Business at Webtoon Entertainment, stated on the 20th, "We had over 50 meetings scheduled even before arriving, and there were many additional consultations on-site."
Noh explained that they discussed joint marketing with Japanese game companies such as Sega and Konami, influential agencies in Japan like Kadokawa, and global game companies including Konami and Shueisha Games. He added, "We also met with representatives from Chinese companies Century Games and Tencent. Companies heavily involved in mobile business show strong interest in advertising through webtoon platforms." Although Chinese game companies did not participate in this year's TGS due to deteriorating China-Japan relations, it is reported that their staff visited the B2B booth.
Noh noted, "The commonality between games and webtoons is that both have stories and fanbases," adding, "Like games, webtoons are the content most frequently used by digital-native generations."
This year, Naver Webtoon executed 97 brand advertisements in collaboration with domestic game companies including Nexon, Netmarble, and Krafton. Additionally, they carried out performance advertising called Cookie Oven with over 130 game companies and ran global game company advertisements approximately 120 times across global services in English, German, French, and Chinese (Traditional). Major examples include The Sims, Ghost of Tsushima, and Dragon Square.
Naver Webtoon's advertising business performance shows an upward trend. Advertising revenue for the second quarter this year reached $50.4 million, an 11.5% increase compared to the same period last year ($45.2 million). Total advertising revenue for the first half of this year was $90.6 million, a 6.5% increase from the first half of last year ($85.1 million).
Noh emphasized, "We are persuading companies not only in Japan but also those aiming to expand into Korea and all global regions that webtoons are the most suitable channel for global marketing. As a global platform, webtoons have the largest reach and the most readers."
He further stated, "Recently, LINE Manga under LDF (LINE Digital Frontier) launched new advertising products tailored to market needs. Going forward, we plan to continue promoting the advantages of webtoon advertising by participating in game-related events such as G-Star, ChinaJoy, and TGS."
in TECH
