Webzen Publishing Dispute

The Webzen publishing dispute is the contractual breakdown that turned DragonSword from a Korean free-to-play live-service game into DragonSword: Awakening, a self-published Steam buy-to-play package. The story explains why the Western release looks the way it does, why the gacha is gone, and why Hound13 went from "Webzen-published mobile and PC F2P" to "self-published Steam B2P" in roughly three months.

Why It Matters

Almost every distinctive feature of the Western release traces back to this dispute. The Buy-to-Play Model, the removal of gacha, the renaming to DragonSword: Awakening, the host-based co-op rather than a server-based MMO structure, and the reworked launch content built around World 1 with all heroes obtainable through play - all of those design choices were forced or accelerated by what happened with Webzen.

Timeline

Date	Event
January 21, 2026	DragonSword launches in South Korea on PC, iOS, and Android, published by Webzen as a free-to-play live-service title.
February 13, 2026	Hound13 issues a notice of contract termination to Webzen, citing failure to pay the agreed minimum guarantee on schedule.
February 27, 2026	Webzen states it has paid the full minimum guarantee amount.
March 3, 2026	Webzen rejects Hound13's contract termination as not legally valid and asserts it retains publishing rights.
April 10, 2026	Hound13 announces self-published Steam relaunch as DragonSword: Awakening, opens a Steam page, and publishes a release plan.
April 13, 2026	Hound13 posts a Steam FAQ outlining the buy-to-play structure for the Western release.
April 17, 2026	First individual Hero reveal of the new pre-launch wave (Kalien Hero Trailer).
April 21, 2026	Webzen files a lawsuit and a request for a preliminary injunction to block the DragonSword: Awakening release.

What the Two Sides Say

Party	Position
Hound13	The contract is terminated as of February 13. Hound13 retains independent publishing rights as the developer and copyright holder. The Korean launch revenue was blocked when payment processing was cut off, so continuing under the original deal was not commercially viable. The Steam relaunch is framed as the choice that preserves the game rather than letting the project disappear.
Webzen	Hound13's termination notice did not satisfy the legal requirements to be valid. The minimum guarantee amount has been paid in full. Webzen retains publishing rights and is asking the court for an injunction to suspend the DragonSword: Awakening release until the contract dispute is settled.

What the Pivot Changed

Hound13's framing of the pivot is that the design and content of DragonSword: Awakening had to be reworked from a server-based F2P live-service product into a single-player Steam package. That involved several concrete shifts:

Server-based multiplayer was replaced with host-based peer-to-peer co-op, supported only for Co-Op content (battles up to 2 players, raids up to 3 players).
Gacha distribution of heroes was removed entirely. All nineteen playable Heroes are unlocked through story and in-game activities.
UI was redesigned for PC gaming with controller and keyboard-and-mouse support, rather than mobile-first.
Some character designs that had drawn feedback during the Korean version were renewed for the Steam release. The renewal was scoped to specific characters rather than to a total redraw.
Content was sized to a single-player package: World 1's eight main-story chapters plus additional Hero quests and a new Eastern region added specifically for the Steam release. World 2, set on the floating islands, was moved to the post-launch expansion plan.
Monetisation was scoped to character costumes, additional Familiars, and full expansion packs, with no monthly subscription or battle pass. See Buy-to-Play Model for the detailed framing.

What Hound13 CEO Park Jung-sik Said

In the public framing accompanying the relaunch, Hound13 CEO Park Jung-sik said the choice was effectively forced. With payment processing blocked and no revenue coming in, the studio could not continue to sustain both the company and the project on the live-service model. Pivoting to a self-published Steam package was framed as a way to preserve years of development work rather than let the game disappear. Press coverage of the FAQ added that the studio is not considering monthly subscription passes for the Steam release.

Effect on the Steam Release

As of the May 2026 sweep, DragonSword: Awakening continues to track toward the announced milestones. The Hero introduction wave (Kalien, Theresia, Lute, plus the Tag Combo Preview featuring Lute, Castella, and Aria) has continued through April and May, the Steam Next Fest demo remains scheduled for June 2026, and the full launch is still targeted at July 2026.

Whether the Webzen injunction succeeds in delaying or modifying that schedule will only be known once Korean court proceedings produce a result. From the Steam-side artefacts publicly visible (active store page, regular Steam News updates, ongoing trailer cadence), Hound13 is operating as if the schedule will hold.

Out Of Scope For This Wiki

This article and the rest of the wiki cover only DragonSword: Awakening, the Steam-published Western release. The Korean free-to-play DragonSword launched in January 2026 is the predecessor and is referenced here only as historical context for why the Awakening rework exists. Specific gacha banners, F2P stamina systems, in-game cash shop entries, or other live-service mechanics from the Korean launch are not in scope; they were stripped out for the Steam release and do not ship in the Awakening build.

Hound13 - the developer and now self-publisher.
Buy-to-Play Model - the structural consequences of the pivot.
Platforms and Release - the consolidated milestone timeline including the dispute.
Overview - the high-level summary of the Steam release.