Comics

Let’s Play To Leave Webtoon Ahead of Season 4

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Let’s Play, a webcomic that has earned millions of viewers since launching in 2016, is pulling up roots. According to an open letter from creator Leeanne M. Krecic (also known as Mongie), season four of the beloved series will not be returning to Webtoon, as she has determined that the platform is no longer a good fit for Let’s Play, or her work more generally. She cited issues with company culture, payment structure, and an alleged pay disparity for Latin American creators as reasons for the move. According to Krecic, more news on the comic’s future home will be coming soon.

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Let’s Play is a romance comic that currently has more than 4 million subscribers, and has been viewed more than 600 million times, according to Webtoon. It centers on Sam Young, a video game developer who has to juggle her personal and professional lives.

You can read the full text of the letter below, via Krecic’s website:

I have been an incredibly fortunate creator to have some amazing and thoughtful fans. You have brought LP’s readership numbers into the millions and helped Volume 1 and 2 of the print edition be some of the most successful graphic novel Kickstarters in the platform’s history. You have shown the industry that there is a demand for comedy, love, mental wellness, and comics in a way they never realized.

Unfortunately, I must report some sad news. I will not be returning with season 4 of Let’s Play at WEBTOON. 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. 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.

On top of this, I have been watching other creators courageously voice their concerns, particularly over the last year. Whether it be about the ad campaign that considers our profession a “side hustle.” The pay disparity for LATAM creators. Or the ongoing lack of transparency and errors in accounting that I’ve experienced personally. WEBTOON is no longer the right platform for me or Let’s Play.

No one is more disappointed with this outcome than I am. But know that I WILL continue Let’s Play once I am contractually able to do so and will be able to return to the new season unburdened. I believe Let’s Play will be even better as a result of what this freedom brings, and when the time is right, I will announce WHEN and WHERE season 4 will launch.

There will be other exciting news about Let’s Play and some new projects in the coming months, and I am eager to make those announcements.

Until then, I look forward to when I can tell the story of Let’s Play again, and we can get back to enjoying our beloved characters as they experience new things and continue to level up.

In addition to the webcomic, Let’s Play has been released in collected print editions. Along the way, it earned an Eisner nomination and a TV adaptation is reportedly in the works.