A world where a character you loved in a webtoon is realized in games and films. There is a Start - Up that turns pleasant imaginings into reality. Kang Kyung-hoon, head of Sorock, said, "Our goal is to expand webtoon intellectual property (IP) into various forms such as films, games, and animation, and to create an environment where creators and readers can experience creation and communication together."
Sorock, founded by Kang in 2023, considers film, game, and animation production from the webtoon planning stage. It has built a collaboration system among creators and stakeholders from different genres. Because the grammar used in webtoons, films, and games differs, it aligns genres and settings early in planning and resolves potential expression issues in advance when switching genres.
Kang said, "When webtoon IP expands into games or animation, webtoon views and sales also rise," and "We aim to fully realize the IP's potential across various platforms instead of ending with the webtoon alone."
Kang also communicated with readers as a webtoon creator for 10 years. Kang said that while working as a creator, Kang felt the limits of webtoon IP. As the global webtoon market grows, planners and creators from various genres beyond webtoons have recently become interested in webtoon IP, and Kang said this suggested possibilities for expansion.
Kang noted, "Rather than simply serializing webtoons, you need to produce them from the early planning stage with video and gamification in mind to secure the IP's revenue and global expansion as collateral."
Sorock views Japan and North America as its main stages. Japan has an ecosystem suited to animation and goods, and North America has one suited to video production. Sorock is currently pursuing IP planning, production, and overseas collaboration with six employees. To date, it has developed 24 works and has three overseas collaboration projects underway in Japan and North America.
Kang said, "Many webtoon creators enjoy collaborating, and they like it when their own works are made into video or animation." Kang added, "We pre-optimize the genre, setting, and character structure of works so they can naturally expand into video, games, and animation," and "through this, we minimize a work's risk and maximize its revenue."
Sorock raised an investment of 300 million won and was selected for TIPS, establishing a foundation for early growth. Sorock's goal is to build an ecosystem where creators and readers can communicate going forward.
Kang said, "I want to create content that moves hearts by exchanging inspiration with creators and readers," and "We will build our own platform and create a competitive ecosystem that naturally expands into webtoons, video, games, and animation."