The Seoul Central District Court has rejected game publisher Webzen’s attempt to halt the launch of open-world RPG DragonSword: Awakening, as confirmed by developer Hound13 on July 22 (source: Inven Global). The title remains on schedule for a Steam release following Valve’s final app review approval.
DragonSword: Awakening is a standalone, self-published project from Hound13, rebuilt from the studio’s earlier free-to-play title DragonSword. The original game debuted in South Korea in January 2026 and was briefly published by Webzen, which sets the stage for the current legal conflict between the two companies.
Approximately one month after DragonSword’s debut, Hound13 announced it would terminate its publishing partnership with Webzen after the publisher failed to meet the minimum payment requirements outlined in their agreement. In response, the development team revealed intentions to transform the game into a premium RPG without gacha mechanics, targeting a Steam release.
Webzen contested this decision, arguing that Hound13’s contract termination was invalid and unilateral. The publisher subsequently filed an injunction to prevent the release of DragonSword: Awakening.
The court ultimately rejected Webzen’s claims, determining that the contract termination was valid since the publisher not only neglected its payment obligations but had also explicitly refused to fulfill them. Furthermore, due to insufficient evidence, the court dismissed Webzen’s allegations that Hound13 misused translated materials, concluding that the new game’s release would not cause the alleged irreparable damage.
Hound13 CEO Jung-Sik Park expressed appreciation for the court’s ruling. The development team intends to cultivate the new intellectual property while continuing to refine the game and enhance its features.
DragonSword: Awakening is set to arrive on PC via Steam.