Hound13 is preparing to self-publish Dragon Sword: Awakening on Steam on July 23, 2026, amid an active legal dispute with former publisher Webzen over service rights.
Hound13, a South Korean developer, is moving forward with self-publishing its anime-style open-world action RPG Dragon Sword: Awakening on PC via Steam. The game launches on July 23, 2026, at 7:00 AM JST, with a free demo available from June 5 to June 24, 2026, covering Chapter 1 and 9 of 19 playable heroes. The demo was originally planned as an early media build but was made public. Save data from the demo does not carry over to the full game.
The release follows Hound13's termination of its publishing contract with Webzen in February 2026, which the developer says was due to unpaid fees. Webzen has disputed the termination and filed a preliminary injunction to block Hound13 from self-publishing. Hound13 maintains it holds independent service rights as the developer and copyright holder. The game has been restructured from the live-service DragonSword into a premium standalone title, removing all gacha elements so that all playable characters and core content are obtainable through gameplay.
The regular price is 3,400 yen, with a Deluxe Edition including a digital art book and soundtrack also planned. A launch celebration event from July 23 to August 31 offers the Abyssal Direwolf Familiar DLC for free. The game features a tag-action battle system with 19 heroes, each with unique status ailment abilities, and supports multiplayer hunts and raids.
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Jun 18
South Korean developer Hound13 announced on June 18 that the anime-style open-world action RPG "Dragon Sword: Awakening" will launch on PC via Steam on July 23, 2026 at 7:00 AM JST. The game is a premium standalone title, restructured from the live-service "DragonSword" after Hound13 terminated its publishing contract with Webzen in February 2026, citing unpaid fees. Webzen has disputed the termination and filed a preliminary injunction to block Hound13's self-publishing, but Hound13 maintains it holds independent service rights as the developer and copyright holder. The premium version removes all gacha elements, making all playable characters and core content obtainable through gameplay. The regular price is 3,400 yen, with a Deluxe Edition including a digital art book and soundtrack also planned. A free demo covering the first chapter is available on Steam until June 24 at 2:00 AM JST. A launch celebration event runs from July 23 to August 31, offering the "Abyssal Direwolf" Familiar DLC for free. The game features a tag-action battle system with 19 heroes, each with unique status ailment abilities, and supports multiplayer hunts and raids.
Jun 2
HOUND13 will release a free demo of the premium open-world RPG DragonSword: Awakening on Steam from June 5 to June 24. The demo covers Chapter 1 of eight, features 9 of 19 playable heroes, and offers about 1-2 hours of play. It was originally planned as an early media build but is now public. Save data does not carry over to the full game.