Webtoon Entertainment said on April 27 local time it signed a strategic partnership with U.S. AI avatar technology company Genies and will develop digital experience services using webtoon characters.

The partnership was set up to provide an “immersive fan experience” that lets readers go beyond viewing webtoons to communicate with characters and experience story worlds. Creators will be able, if they choose, to present characters from their works as 3D avatars.

As the first pilot, popular webtoons “The Greatest Estate Developer,” “The Knight Only Lives Today” and “My In-Laws Are Obsessed With Me” were selected with creators’ consent. The characters will be produced as 3D avatars based on Genies’ AI technology, reflecting the original artwork style and personality. The 3D digital avatar feature is set to begin pilot service within this year on Naver Webtoon’s English platform, Webtoon.

The company said readers can interact with the avatars, talk about the works and enjoy story-world narratives based on scenarios developed by creators. Readers can obtain items to decorate avatars through activities such as viewing works, paying for paid episodes and accessing the application. It plans to introduce premium items later so the initiative can become a new revenue source for creators.

Kim Yong-su (김용수), chief executive of Webtoon Entertainment, said it would be a turning point that evolves how webtoons are enjoyed by providing fans with an immersive digital experience to connect with characters. He said all processes will proceed based on creators’ consent and within a scope that does not undermine the value of the original works.

Akash Nigam (아카시 니잠), chief executive of Genies, said he was glad to provide tools that can digitally expand characters loved by fans and broaden the story-viewing experience.