Summary
- Piccoma, a manga app, has become one of the most successful platforms of 2023, beating even Shueisha and Kodansha’s official apps.
- Piccoma is the top-grossing comic app, making about $600 million and ranking 17th globally in sales.
- Solo Leveling, the most-viewed series on Piccoma, is set to be the next king of the industry and is driving the app’s success.
The sales figures for the most lucrative apps in the world are out, and manga app Piccoma has risen up the ranks and become one of the most successful platforms of 2023, beating even Shueisha and Kodansha’s official apps, and part of it is thanks to Solo Leveling. This is a huge milestone as it shows that manga is becoming increasingly popular, competing with the biggest applications out there.
The South Korean-owned Piccoma app is a platform that hosts the biggest manga and manhwa, such as Boruto, Kagurabachi, and My Hero Academia, but it is more geared towards the manhwa. Based on the revenue of global comic apps for the year 2023, Piccoma stands at the top, beating even Shonen Jump+, MANGA Plus, and K-Manga.
According to The Korea Economic Daily, besides being the most lucrative comic app, Piccoma had the 17th highest sales in the world, making about $600 million, and was the 7th most lucrative among non-gaming platforms, being beaten out by giants such as Tiktok, YouTube, Tinder, Google One, Disney+, and HBO Max.
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This is obviously a great achievement for Kakao, the app’s parent company. Leading the way for this monumental achievement is Solo Leveling, which was the most-viewed series on Piccoma. Doctor Elise trailed in second place and the rankings were dominated by manhwa, but what is noteworthy is that Solo Leveling ranked first even without the boost of the anime.
Written by Chugong, Solo Leveling is one of the most popular manhwa ever and is considered by many as the face of South Korean comics. The webtoon series has an anime airing that is currently airing on Crunchyroll, and it is almost impossible to scroll social media without hearing about it. This makes sense since the series had a huge loyal fanbase way before an anime was announced, and with the newfound interest from observers, it is safe to say that Solo Leveling is set to be the biggest anime of 2024.
Solo Leveling has been in the top 3 most-read series on Piccoma for the last 5 years.
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Piccoma is little known in the West, where Shueisha and Kodansha’s series usually dominate, but Piccoma has been available in French since 2021, and it’s easy to predict it will soon expand into the English-speaking market, based on its incredible commercial success. Its connection with other Kakao services (Daum Webtoon & KakaoPage) lets Piccoma corner the manhwa market, which is proving to be the new frontier.
If Piccoma’s incredible financial success can truly be attributed in great part to Solo Leveling, then this is proof that, with the boost given by the anime, Solo Leveling is really poised to become the next king of the industry.
Sources: The Korean Economic Daily, MangaMogura.
Solo Leveling is available on Crunchyroll.
Solo Leveling
Based on a webtoon series, Solo Leveling is an action-adventure fantasy anime originally created by Chugong. When Sung Jinwoo is slain in the depths of a high-level dungeon, he is reborn – but this time with a plan. Utilizing a unique program that only he can, Jinwoo levels up remarkably fast – and he intends to use his newfound strength to reach the heart of the dungeon and uncover its secrets.
- Release Date
- January 7, 2024
- Creator(s)
- Chugong
- Directors
- Shunsuke Nakashige
Alex Mitchell is your go-to expert for all things mobile. With a passion for the latest smartphones, apps, and mobile innovations, Alex provides in-depth reviews, insightful analyses, and breaking news about the ever-evolving world of mobile technology. Stay connected with Alex to navigate the fast-paced realm of mobile devices.
