A Solo Leveling game, as well as a Solo Leveling drama produced in the United States, have been reported by one of the biggest Korean news sources, Maeil Business News Korea, last Tuesday. The South Korean webtoon drawn by Chugong was even of the most famous anticipated manga fans want animated, and we have been expecting it to get some development for a while now. A Solo Leveling game and drama are an incredible first step, especially so since they seem to be aiming to reach a global audience with production based in the United States!
According to Maeil Business News, the franchise, whose intellectual property (IP) is owned by D&C Media and Kakao Entertainment, will be adapted to a game and drama. The game will be developed by Korean game giant Netmarble Corp. They’ve previously worked on many games we already know, such as The Seven Deadly Sins: Grand Cross, the mobile version of Blade & Soul, MARVEL Future Fight, Seven Knights, among others. It’s worth noting that there is also the Netmarble US, the US-based division of Netmarble Corp based in Los Angeles. That office is dedicated to developing and publishing mobile games for Western audiences across North America, Latin America, and Europe “in partnership with renowned franchises and the biggest entertainment IPs in the world, such as Disney, Marvel, SNK, Kodansha, and Wizards of the Coast.”
As for the drama, the article says that they are also in talks with several studios in the US to produce it and air it via an over-the-top (OTT) service. An OTT service is basically a streaming platform, such as Netflix, Amazon Video Prime, Hulu, etc. The article also mention that Warner Brothers has interest in the production. Still, so far, no producing studio has been named.
Besides the Solo Leveling game and drama news, they also note that the franchise, as a single IP, has reached over 620 million cumulated views in Korea. With over 6.6 million readers and up to 1.5 million views per day. The webtoon also has strong fan base in Japan, North America, China, and Southeast Asia, and it it was read by 1.5 million in Japan. In addition about 190,000 users signed a Solo Leveling anime petition on change.org.
Lastly, they also mention that the franchise is said to be in review for film production by an international distributor. You can enjoy the trailer for the webtoon’s Season 2 announcement from last year:
The South Korean webtoon is beloved by many, and it’s sure that both a Solo Leveling game and Solo Leveling drama will have many interested. Hopefully an anime adaptation is also possible in the near future despite all the factors involved. Let’s wait for more information and details!
Source: Maeil Business News Korea
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