Chinese online novel adapted into offline experience

An immersive haunted house based on the phenomenal Chinese fantasy web novel, The Unruly Immortals, made a stunning debut on Friday at the Universal Studios Singapore Halloween Horror Nights, marking the first partnership between the Universal Studios Singapore and a Chinese online novel.

With the event running until Nov 1, this collaboration also marks the first time that a premier IP born on China’s global story platform Yuewen has been adapted into a large-scale offline immersive experience at an international theme park.

The Unruly Immortals, written by Foxtail Pen under Yuewen, emerged as a groundbreaking online literary phenomenon in China in 2023, amassing over 11.3 million subscribers across Yuewen’s online literature platforms. It has rapidly expanded into adaptations, including comics, animation and games, and its online community has generated tens of millions of views for fan-created content across major platforms.

At the Universal Studios Singapore, a theme park renowned for aggregating world-class entertainment IPs, the fantasy hit will be transformed into reality and put under the spotlight.

Guests will follow high school student Li Huowang as he navigates two conflicting realities. The haunted house blurs the lines between sanity and madness, challenging guests to question what is real as they journey through twisted hospital wards, ancient alchemy chambers and nightmarish temples in the protagonist’s desperate search for a cure.

“I’m honored that The Unruly Immortals becomes the first Chinese literary intellectual property to be featured at Universal Studios Singapore. Turning words into a real-life experience has been a magical journey. I hope visitors from around the world enjoy this one-of-a-kind adventure where fantasy and reality come together,” said the writer.

Hou Xiaonan, CEO and president of Yuewen, said the successful launch of The Unruly Immortalsat Universal Studios Singapore marks a critical milestone for Yuewen in transforming its rich IP portfolio into world-class entertainment experiences, as well as a vital means to connect with global fans.

This collaboration also epitomized Yuewen’s accelerated steps of its global IP strategy. To date, the group has already launched over 1,800 comic titles and nearly a hundred animation adaptations overseas. It has also been promoting innovative international collaboration for IP development.

This summer, Yuewen partnered with Switzerland Tourism to launch a featured route themed onThe King’s Avatar, and the big IP festival “Yuewen Wonderland” held in Singapore earlier this year drew nearly 500,000 visitors across the world.