{"rewrite":{"id":"r_9594320efbf713a418a326f9","clusterId":"c_c0dcffe0c8ff79ffc260aee9","slug":"turtleme-says-future-of-the-beginning-after-the-end-is-unclear-after-tapas-shutdown","model":"deepseek-v4-1-flash","headline":"TurtleMe Says Future of The Beginning After the End Is Unclear After Tapas Shutdown","summary":"TurtleMe, the author of The Beginning After the End, said the future of his series is unclear after Kakao Entertainment announced the shutdown of Tapas. Kakao confirmed the closure on September 22, 2026, with operations set to wind down by the end of the year. The press release did not give a timeline or explain what will happen to the titles hosted on the platform. According to Animehunch, neither Tapas employees nor the artists were told before Kakao went to the press. TurtleMe wrote on his official X account that he is still in shock and does not know what comes next. He said he will do everything in his power to keep The Beginning After the End and Soul Forged going, and asked readers to follow creators on their social accounts to keep supporting them beyond Tapas. The platform reportedly hosts over 100,000 titles from 75,000 creators.","whyItMatters":"Kakao is winding down Tapas after acquiring it in 2021 in a deal valued at about USD 950 million, and the shutdown leaves creators without a home or a timeline for their work.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003eTurtleMe\u0026#39;s post addressed the makers of the platform as well as its readers. \u0026#34;To the creators, fans, and staff of Tapas, thank you for all the love, guidance, and memories over these 8 years,\u0026#34; he wrote. \u0026#34;Though the platform may be gone, I believe the impact of this wonderful community will last forever.\u0026#34;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTapas was the home of both The Beginning After the End and Soul Forged for eight years, and the shutdown follows other trouble for the franchise. Fuyuki23, the former illustrator of the manhwa, left the project, which put the series on an extended hiatus for almost a year until Tapas picked it up.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe closure sits at the end of a longer retreat by Kakao Entertainment. In 2021 Kakao spent about 1.1 trillion won (roughly USD 950 million) to acquire Tapas and the web novel platform Radish, valuing them at about USD 510 million and USD 440 million. Radish shut down last year, with Kakao saying it would concentrate on Tapas instead. The two had merged in 2022 under Tapas Entertainment, and Kakao had already begun liquidating Tapas Korea. Kakao posted an 88.9 billion won (about USD 67 million) goodwill impairment loss in its fourth-quarter 2023 earnings, with Tapas accounting for 46 billion won (about USD 35 million) of that.\u003c/p\u003e","blueskyPost":"Tapas hosts over 100,000 titles from 75,000 creators. TurtleMe's readers can follow him elsewhere; most creators on the platform have no announcement to make and no audience already waiting.","twitterPost":"Tapas hosts 100,000 titles from 75,000 creators. TurtleMe has a following to carry; the rest of that catalog does not.","threadsPost":"Tapas hosts over 100,000 titles from 75,000 creators, and the shutdown press release gave no timeline for what happens to any of them. TurtleMe can tell readers to follow him elsewhere because he has an audience. Most creators on Tapas do not, and they found out with the public.","newsletterBlurb":"Kakao Entertainment is shutting down Tapas, and creators found out from the press. TurtleMe, who has published The Beginning After the End on the platform for eight years, says he is in shock and does not know what comes next. The announcement gave no timeline for the titles hosted on Tapas.","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"Anime Corner\",\"url\":\"https://animecorner.me/the-beginning-after-the-end-author-turtleme-addresses-tapas-shutdown-says-future-of-series-is-unclear/\",\"title\":\"The Beginning After the End Author TurtleMe Addresses Tapas Shutdown, Says Future of Series Is Unclear\"},{\"source\":\"Animehunch\",\"url\":\"https://animehunch.com/tbate-author-future-unsure-as-tapas-shuts-down/\",\"title\":\"The Beginning After The End Author Unsure of Future As Tapas Shuts Down Without Warning Creators\"}]","lintFlagsJson":null,"lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":10066,"outputTokens":1316,"status":"published","repairAttempts":0,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":1790261062,"createdAt":"2026-09-24T14:38:38.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-09-24T14:43:20.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-09-24T14:43:20.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_c0dcffe0c8ff79ffc260aee9","canonicalTitle":"The Beginning After the End Author TurtleMe Addresses Tapas Shutdown, Says Future of Series Is Unclear","representativeArticleId":"a_a16738485f21bd11517440cc","sourceCount":2,"writtenSourceCount":2,"writeAttempts":0,"isSolo":false,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[],\"manga_titles\":[\"The Beginning After the End\"],\"work_titles\":[],\"studios\":[\"Tapas\",\"Kakao Entertainment\"],\"people\":[\"TurtleMe\"],\"type\":\"news\",\"domain\":\"industry\",\"is_roundup\":false}","contentType":"news","status":"published","firstSeenAt":"2026-09-23T09:19:42.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-09-24T12:51:52.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-09-24T14:43:20.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"Anime Corner","url":"https://animecorner.me/the-beginning-after-the-end-author-turtleme-addresses-tapas-shutdown-says-future-of-series-is-unclear/","title":"The Beginning After the End Author TurtleMe Addresses Tapas Shutdown, Says Future of Series Is Unclear"},{"source":"Animehunch","url":"https://animehunch.com/tbate-author-future-unsure-as-tapas-shuts-down/","title":"The Beginning After The End Author Unsure of Future As Tapas Shuts Down Without Warning Creators"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":[],"manga_titles":["The Beginning After the End"],"work_titles":[],"studios":["Tapas","Kakao Entertainment"],"people":["TurtleMe"],"type":"news","domain":"industry","is_roundup":false},"keyFacts":["Kakao Entertainment announced the shutdown of Tapas on September 22, 2026, with operations set to wind down by the end of the year.","Tapas reportedly hosts over 100,000 titles from 75,000 creators.","TurtleMe has published The Beginning After the End and Soul Forged on Tapas for eight years.","Kakao acquired Tapas and Radish in 2021 in a deal valued at approximately 1.1 trillion won (USD 950 million).","Kakao reported an 88.9 billion won goodwill impairment loss in fourth-quarter 2023 earnings, with Tapas accounting for 46 billion won."]}