Leeanne M. Krecic AKA Mongie announced on Wednesday that her highly popular romantic-comedy webcomic Let's Play will no longer be published on Webtoon.
Let's Play follows video game developer Sam Yeoung as she attempts to juggle her personal and professional lives after a popular streamer gives one of her games a scathing review - and then becomes her new neighbor. The series has racked up more than 4 million subscribers and upward of 600 million views since it debuted in 2016, and Kickstarter campaigns for print editions of the first three volumes collectively raised nearly $1 million.
Volume 3 wrapped publication on Webtoon in September, but in an announcement posted on her website and social media on November 9, Krecic states that season 4 will be posted elsewhere once she is "contractually able" to continue the series.
"This was an incredibly difficult decision, and no single event led to it. There have been ongoing difficulties for several years, most of which I can't discuss, nor is this the appropriate forum," Krecic says. "But some concerns include Let's Play being excluded from marketing, despite promises to the contrary, and placing LP behind an age gate when there are series with far more controversial content that isn't restricted.
"My representation has voiced these concerns and others to the necessary individuals at Webtoon, but the blame was reflected back at me for incredibly far-fetched reasons. These issues, among many others, have made me feel marginalized and that Webtoon does not value Let's Play or me."
Krecic also cites pay disparities for Latin American creators, an official Webtoon ad campaign that called webcomic creation a "side hustle," and an "ongoing lack of transparency and errors in accounting" as additional reasons behind her decision to leave the platform.
Krecic's departure from Webtoon is significant as it is one of the largest series on the platform, which boasts a total of more than 82 million monthly readers from all over the globe. How this will affect other creators on Webtoon could mark another major shift in webcomics, which have seen a massive uptick in readers, reach, and financial support for creators in recent years.
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