The K-pop industry is developing webtoons, animated shows, and virtual idol groups centered around its artists to create new content and generate stable revenue streams. This so-called IP content strategy allows companies to utilize the intellectual property of popular K-pop groups even without their direct involvement. South Korean entertainment giants are increasingly banking on IP content strategy to overcome recent financial struggles.
HYBE, the entertainment agency behind BTS, has recently expanded its content lineup beyond webtoons by venturing into the anime market. HYBE announced plans to produce an anime based on “Dark Moon: The Blood Altar,” a popular webtoon featuring K-pop boy group ENHYPEN as its main characters. “Dark Moon: The Blood Altar” was serialized on Korea’s leading webtoon platform, Naver Webtoon, from 2022 to last October. The webtoon follows the story of seven vampire boys and has amassed over 190 million views.
The anime adaptation will be produced by Aniplex, a subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment in Japan, marking the first time an artist-based story IP created by HYBE will be transformed into an animated series. Aniplex released a teaser image for the anime on Sept. 16.
HYBE has previously produced webtoons based on the IPs of its artists, such as BTS (7Fates: Chakho) and TXT (The Star Seekers). The agency’s recent anime venture reflects its content expansion strategy targeting young millennials and Gen Z, the age group that enjoys and supports K-pop.
The “Dark Moon: The Blood Altar” anime will be released globally in the first half of 2025. Following the anime’s launch, HYBE is expected to work on more genre-spanning projects based on its artists.
Meanwhile, SM Entertainment—the agency behind famous K-pop groups such as Aespa, Red Velvet, NCT Dream, and RIIZE—is developing a mobile game using its artist IP with Kakao Games, a Korean video game publisher and subsidiary of Kakao. SM plans to release a mobile game tentatively titled “SM Game Station” in the first half of next year. In the game, users act as managers of SM artists, guiding their careers by styling them and planning their musical activities.
The K-pop label’s IP strategy also involves pushing into the realm of virtual artists, which are created using artificial intelligence and virtual reality technology. SM revealed its first virtual idol, Nævis, and her digital single “Done” on Sept. 10. Nævis sings and dances using a combination of multiple voice actors and AI. Virtual idols allow entertainment companies to expand IPs more easily than with real artists, as these digital characters can be seamlessly integrated into games and other platforms while avoiding real-world complications such as privacy concerns. SM said Nævis will be active in various fields, including music and games.
The virtual idol market is expected to see steady growth. According to market research firm Global Information Inc. (GII), the virtual idol and YouTuber market is projected to grow from $1.08 billion last year to $4.04 billion by 2029.
