Korean startup wrtn is on track to pass $100M in annual recurring revenue, riding a loneliness epidemic-fueled boom in AI entertainment

Backed by a record chip boom and a state-run “AI Squid Game” to build sovereign models, South Korea is also nurturing a new generation of AI startups—like wrtn, an interactive storytelling platform now eyeing a U.S. launch.

Founded in 2021 as a chatbot aggregator, the South Korean startup is now on track to surpass $100 million in annual recurring revenue this year, as AI-generated entertainment gets a foothold among consumers.

Wrtn—better known by its brand names Crack (in Korea) and Kyarapu (in Japan)—offers an AI-powered interactive storytelling platform, where users can set up AI-generated narratives and shape plots in real time. Dong-jae Lee, wrtn’s chief product officer, uses the analogy of a dungeon master for a tabletop RPG: the AI, like the dungeon master, constructs a narrative in response to what users do. 

“Experience-wise, it feels like........

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