LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--WEBTOON Entertainment, a leading global entertainment company and home to some of the world’s largest storytelling platforms, has teamed up with Overtime, a leading brand for next generation sports fans, for “Overtime Elite,” an electrifying new webcomic. The first episode is available today exclusively on WEBTOON’s English language platform.
“Overtime Elite” reveals a hidden world where basketball isn't just a game—it's a battleground for the next “king of basketball.” The series follows Omari, a young man who puts his hoop dreams aside to support his family. But when an Overtime scout notices him dominating the local courts, Omari gets the opportunity of a lifetime: an invitation to Overtime, an underground society for basketball’s most elite players. As Omari rises through the ranks, he learns that Overtime isn’t just training players—it’s shaping future legends.
“Overtime Elite” is the first collaboration between WEBTOON and Overtime, bringing the Overtime community’s passion and excitement to WEBTOON’s dynamic vertical scroll storytelling. Written by Brandon Chen (“Just a Goblin”) and featuring art from webcomic and manga studio Laurel Pursuit, the series will have over 50 episodes, updated every Thursday on WEBTOON.
“Overtime Elite is all about passion, for sports and the stories that push people to new levels, and that’s what makes this collaboration and series so exciting,” said David S. Lee, Head of US WEBTOON. “Overtime and WEBTOON are brands that inspire a new generation, and whether it’s in sports or comics, we’re creating a story that captures the intensity of elite competition and love of the game that drives every athlete and sports fan. We can’t wait for sports fans and webcomic enthusiasts to experience this series.”
“We’re always searching for new ways to celebrate basketball culture with audiences around the globe,” said Dan Porter, CEO of Overtime. “As the leading anime platform, WEBTOON was the ideal partner to help us tell stories and create an additional pathway for fans to explore the world of Overtime.”
"Overtime Elite has been an amazing collaborative opportunity to bring everything I love about shonen sports series to WEBTOON,” said Chen. “Whether it's witnessing the battles of basketball, life or dreams, I hope readers have a blast reading this series swelling with energy! Chase your dreams!"
Series writer and artist Chen has established himself as a powerhouse in digital comics with the success of his breakout series “Just A Goblin” and “Samurai no Tora.” With over 1M followers on TikTok, 202K subscribers on YouTube, 210K followers on Instagram, and a growing global audience, Chen is at the forefront of digital comics storytelling with his webcomics and manga studio, Inspired Production Studio.
Some of the most exciting names in pop culture have worked with WEBTOON to bring their stories to webcomics. Recent collaborations include series and projects with names like The Try Guys; HYBE artists BTS, TXT, and ENHYPEN; Lil Uzi Vert; Hayley Kiyoko; Kevin Kreider; Ava Max; GAYLE; MAY-A, and others. WEBTOON has also worked with marquee comic publishers like DC, Archie Comics, Marvel and more.
About WEBTOON Entertainment
WEBTOON Entertainment is a leading global entertainment company and home to some of the world's largest storytelling platforms. As the global leader and pioneer of the mobile web-comic format, WEBTOON Entertainment has transformed comics and visual storytelling for fans and creators.
With its CANVAS UGC platform empowering anyone to become a creator, and a growing roster of superstar WEBTOON Originals creators and series, WEBTOON Entertainment’s passionate fandoms are the new face of pop culture. WEBTOON adaptations are available on Netflix, Prime Video, Crunchyroll, and other screens around the world, and the company’s content partners include Discord, HYBE and DC Comics, among many others.
With approximately 170 million monthly active users (as of the quarter ended June 30, 2024), WEBTOON Entertainment’s IP & Creator Ecosystem of aligned companies include WEBTOON, Wattpad--the world’s leading web-novel platform--Wattpad WEBTOON Studios, Studio N, Studio LICO, WEBTOON Unscrolled, LINE MANGA, and eBookJapan, among others.
About Overtime
Overtime builds disruptive new sports leagues and IP aimed globally at the next generation of sports fans and athletes. Overtime owns and operates, OTE and Overtime Select in basketball, OT7 in football and OTX in boxing, and leverages digital-first content across its network of accounts engaging its community of over 100 million fans and followers. Overtime's business model is driven by sponsorships, brand relationships, e-commerce, licensing and media rights.
Overtime is funded by top VC firms, industry leaders, and athletes, including Liberty Media Corporation, Andreessen Horowitz, Counterpoint Global (Morgan Stanley), Sapphire Sport, Winslow Capital, Bezos Expeditions, Spark Capital, Micromanagement Ventures (the family of the late David Stern), Black Capital, Blackstone Strategic Partners, Alexis Ohanian, Drake, Quavo and 40+ NBA and NFL stars including Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Durant and Trae Young. Over 6% of active NBA players have invested in Overtime.
