YUEWEN seeks global partners for 'Lord of Mysteries' after record fan activation

Chinese web fiction IP draws brands across 34 countries as YUEWEN opens global licensing talks ahead of 2026 anime and game launches.

NEW YORK, May 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- YUEWEN Group, China's leading online literature and IP development platform, today announced it is opening global partnership talks for "Lord of Mysteries," its top-performing intellectual property, after a worldwide fan event drew commercial activity from more than 34 brands across 34 countries.

The company invites brands, retailers, content platforms and investors to participate in licensing, distribution and content deals as it prepares to launch an animation special and two video games tied to the title in 2026.

The announcement follows the annual global birthday celebration for protagonist Klein Moretti, which this year spanned more than 200 cities. The activation included large-screen displays in 16 cities across six countries, among them New York, London, Bangkok and Seoul.

A limited-edition birthday gold banknote sold out within three hours of release and topped Tmall's weekly merchandise chart. Overall birthday-series merchandise revenue rose 50% year on year.

"Lord of Mysteries" has built a global fanbase of more than 30 million. The original novel, published on YUEWEN's Qidian platform and the first title there to surpass 300,000 average subscriptions, holds the long-running top spot on WebNovel by votes, sales and reader collections, with a Goodreads rating of 4.5 or above. Physical editions are now available in 14 languages.

The animated adaptation, co-produced with Tencent Video, debuted across more than 190 countries and regions in seven languages. It carries an IMDb score of 9.3, the highest recorded for a Chinese animation overseas. It ranks in the top 100 titles on MyAnimeList and holds a 4.9 out of 5 rating on Crunchyroll.

"Lord of Mysteries," created by the author known as Cuttlefish That Loves Diving, is set in a Victorian-era steampunk world ruled by a hidden hierarchy of supernatural beings known as "Beyonders," whose powers are organized through a tarot-inspired system. The story follows Klein Moretti, a young man who enters this world and rises through its ranks.

YUEWEN has signed more than 40 brand partnerships to date, with co-branded products spanning fast-moving consumer goods, consumer electronics, sports and fitness, themed retail spaces, precious metals and accessible luxury. The company says the IP's core audience skews toward educated, high-income young consumers in major Chinese and overseas cities.

"We have proven the model across fan engagement, merchandise conversion and cross-category adaptability," said Benjamin Tao, IP Operations Lead for "Lord of Mysteries." "Now is the right moment to scale globally. We are open to partnerships across brand licensing, content collaboration and channel distribution, and we welcome quality partners from any market."

YUEWEN plans to release animation "The Marked Hunt" and two games, "Lord of Mysteries" and " The new LOM mobile game," later this year, as part of a decade-long content roadmap spanning more than seven planned animation installments.

"'Lord of Mysteries' is the core IP of YUEWEN's global strategy," said Hou Xiaonan, CEO of YUEWEN Group. "We will deploy the full weight of our platform resources behind its international growth, and we are actively seeking partners who share our long-term vision for building a global IP universe."

About YUEWEN

YUEWEN (China Literature Limited) is a culture and entertainment group focused on developing intellectual property (IP) derived from online literature. YUEWEN has a diverse portfolio of well-known brands, such as QQ Reading, Qidian, New Classics Media and Tencent Animation & Comics. It serves as a platform for tens of millions of creators with a rich reserve of literary works, audiobooks, animation, comics, films, drama series, games and merchandise.

SOURCE YUEWEN