NCSOFT is ending its webtoon platform "BUFFTOON" service after approximately 12 years.
According to the gaming industry on the 15th, the BUFFTOON management team announced on the previous day's website notice that "we will conclude our 12 years of service as of Dec. 17, 2025," and stated, "we will do our best to provide stable service until the very end."
In light of the service termination, BUFFTOON has suspended charging for paid coins used for webtoon viewing and providing free coins since the previous day. The use of coins will cease starting June 30. Purchased paid coins and webtoon, comic, and web novel collection works are eligible for a refund. Specific refund methods, among other details, will be announced on the 21st.
BUFFTOON is a platform launched by NCSOFT in December 2013, targeting the webtoon and web novel markets. Past webtoons serialized on BUFFTOON, such as "How to Hate You" and "The Day After We Broke Up," have been adapted into single-episode dramas and musicals, respectively. In 2022, the platform actively expanded its business, including holding a content contest in collaboration with MBC. However, the subsequent slowdown in the growth of the webtoon market and NCSOFT's decision to streamline numerous non-core businesses outside of its main games since last year led to the decision to end BUFFTOON's service.