343. WEBTOON Is Bigger Than Monopoly Go: Inside a New Game Marketing Channel

Jen sits down with WEBTOON and Square Enix to break down a channel that reaches mobile, PC, and console at once.UA is saturated and everyone is hunting for new reach. WEBTOON has 160 million MAU, about 90% under 34, and roughly 69% of its readers play games across all three platforms. Christine Yu (WEBTOON) and Melanie Gordon (Square Enix) walk through how the Visions of Mana and Dragon Quest VII Reimagined campaigns actually came together, what the branded epilogue format is, how long these collabs take, and how the Coin Hunter offerwall is driving 10,000 verified Steam wishlist adds a week.Topics Covered:• The vertical scroll format and why Gen Z never touched a comic book• 160M MAU and how WEBTOON monetizes like a free to play game• $2.7B paid out to creators and 124,000 new episodes a day• Creators as influencers and why the comment section matters• The branded epilogue and the Visions of Mana collab results• Dragon Quest VII Reimagined and the Tabletop partnership• Timelines, approvals, and what marketers need to bring to the table• Licensing collab creative for paid media, owned social, and UA• Coin Hunter, the offerwall, and pay per verified Steam wishlist• Where WEBTOON sits in the funnel and why ROAS is the wrong first questionCHAPTERS:01:33 — What Is WEBTOON04:21 — Mel's Fan Origin Story06:26 — WEBTOON as an IP Engine09:17 — Creators as Influencers11:24 — Turning Fandom Into a Marketing Channel13:14 — Case Study: Visions of Mana x The Greatest Estate Developer15:20 — Inside the Collab Process17:33 — Western Market Performance20:00 — Case Study: Dragon Quest VII Reimagined x Tabletop24:07 — Campaign Types and Timelines27:32 — Repurposing Collab Content for UA/Social30:18 — What Makes It Feel Authentic (Not Cheesy)32:00 — Performance, ROAS, and Funnel Placement34:00 — Beyond Anime: Genre and Demographic Diversity37:08 — Audience Demographics38:00 — Lower-Funnel Product: Coin Hunter / Steam Wishlist41:00 — What's Next & Wrap-Up Wishlist 42:00 — Recap and Closing (Brandformance)