On September 20, Ren—known online as RWX and the founder of WuxiaWorld—announced that he has once again become the sole owner of the English‑language web‑fiction platform. The buyback was completed from Tapas Entertainment, the North American arm that had been managing the site since Kakao Entertainment’s 2021 acquisition.
Ren’s statement, posted on the official WuxiaWorld news page, cited the impending closure of Tapas as the “primary impetus” for the move. Kakao’s subsidiary announced that Tapas will cease its North American service on March 31, 2027, in a notice that appeared on Anime News Network. Ren warned that without the buyback, WuxiaWorld itself could have faced shutdown alongside its former parent.
Founded in 2014 by a fan of Chinese martial‑arts literature, WuxiaWorld quickly grew into a major hub for translated Chinese web novels, later expanding its catalogue to include Korean titles such as Overgeared and SSS‑Class Revival Hunter. The platform now distributes a mix of Chinese, Korean, and increasingly Japanese and isekai fiction to readers in over 100 countries.
When Kakao Entertainment—through its subsidiary Radish Media—acquired WuxiaWorld in 2021, the conglomerate highlighted the site’s millions of daily page views and its potential as a complementary service to other North American story platforms. At that time, Korean works made up roughly five percent of the library but accounted for almost a quarter of revenue, according to Kakao’s internal data.
Following the 2022 merger of Tapas and Radish, the combined entity became the parent company for Kakao’s North American story businesses. Kakao later shuttered Radish in 2025, consolidating its focus on Tapas. With Tapas now preparing to close, Ren decided to step back in and rebuild WuxiaWorld as an independent venture.
Financially, the platform is in a tighter spot than when it left Ren’s hands. The founder disclosed that WuxiaWorld once generated more than US$300,000 in monthly gross profit, but the most recent figures from July 2026 showed a gross loss of about US$30,000. Ren’s immediate plan involves trimming expenses, streamlining internal workflows, and shifting the operation back into a “startup mode.” He also intends to pause several underperforming titles while overhauling the content pipeline.
Licensing strategy will see a shift as well. Ren announced a push to acquire fresh Korean web‑novel licenses, a segment that has been dormant for some time. At the same time, he is reassessing the platform’s approach to Chinese titles and exploring expansion into Japanese and isekai genres. Despite the fiscal strain, Ren emphasized that WuxiaWorld will not turn to machine translation, preferring human‑crafted translations to maintain quality.
Beyond licensing, the founder is eyeing new revenue streams. Potential avenues include multilingual support, encouraging user‑generated content, and even branching into video or animation adaptations of popular novels. These initiatives aim to diversify the audience while preserving the site’s core mission: providing a “forever home” for translated stories rather than letting them disappear.
For readers interested in the titles that have helped WuxiaWorld’s reputation, the platform currently hosts English releases of Overgeared, a Korean fantasy series gaining traction on streaming services, and SSS‑Class Revival Hunter, which recently received an anime adaptation. The adaptation was highlighted in a Manga For Today article covering its expanded cast and new promotional material.
Ren’s long‑term vision remains unchanged from the site’s inception: to keep translated novels accessible and alive for a global readership. In a personal blog post titled “The Return,” he thanked both Kakao Entertainment and Tapas for facilitating a swift transaction that took less than a month, underscoring a collaborative spirit even as ownership changes hands.
As the web‑fiction landscape continues to evolve, the reacquisition of WuxiaWorld signals a renewed commitment to independent, fan‑focused platforms. Whether the upcoming licensing deals and diversified revenue experiments will stabilize the company remains to be seen, but the founder’s hands‑on approach suggests a proactive effort to steer the platform through a challenging transitional period.
Featured image: WuxiaWorld's website (link 2)
Source: Anime News Network