Wuxiaworld founder Ren, also known as RWX, has bought back the English-language web novel platform from Tapas Entertainment, restoring its independent ownership nearly five years after Kakao Entertainment acquired the company. Announced on September 20, 2026, the deal comes shortly before Kakao revealed that Tapas will shut down its North American service on March 31, 2027.
In his announcement, Ren confirmed that he is once again the sole owner and operator of Wuxiaworld. He described the impending Tapas shutdown as the primary reason for returning, explaining that Wuxiaworld itself would otherwise have faced closure. He also thanked Kakao Entertainment and Tapas for completing the transaction in less than a month.
However, the buyback comes with considerable financial challenges. Ren revealed that Wuxiaworld’s financial performance has deteriorated significantly since its previous sale. His immediate goal is to stabilize the business while preserving the platform’s role in bringing translated web novels to English-speaking readers.
Wuxiaworld Founder Outlines Financial Recovery Plan
Founded in 2014, Wuxiaworld became a major English-language platform for translated Chinese and Korean web novels. Its catalog includes popular titles such as Overgeared and SSS-Class Revival Hunter.
Ren disclosed that Wuxiaworld generated more than US$300,000 in monthly gross profit when he transferred the company to Tapas. By July 2026, its latest finalized monthly figures showed a gross loss of approximately US$30,000.
To address the situation, Ren plans to reduce expenses, streamline internal processes, and return the company to a more agile startup-style operation. He also intends to pause several unprofitable novels and overhaul Wuxiaworld’s content pipeline.
Ren wants to expand Wuxiaworld’s catalog by securing new Korean web novel licenses, noting that the platform has not added such titles for some time. He also plans to reassess its Chinese novel offerings and explore Japanese fiction, including isekai stories.
Despite the financial pressure, Ren has ruled out machine translation. Instead, he is considering additional revenue and audience opportunities through multilingual support, user-generated fiction, and video or animation content. Further details about these plans have not yet been announced.
Kakao Entertainment acquired Wuxiaworld in 2021 through its subsidiary Radish Media. Following the merger of Tapas and Radish in 2022, Wuxiaworld operated under Tapas Entertainment. Kakao later shut down Radish in 2025 as it concentrated its North American storytelling business on Tapas.
With Tapas scheduled to close on March 31, 2027, Wuxiaworld’s return to independent ownership gives the platform a separate path forward. However, the long-term effects on individual novels, publishing agreements, and the company’s finances remain uncertain.
Ren’s long-term ambition is to provide translated novels with a lasting home rather than allow them to disappear. His return puts Wuxiaworld’s future under its original founder’s leadership as the company begins a challenging restructuring process.
