DragonSword Awakening Injunction Decision – Hound13 vs Webzen Explained

#Short answer

The DragonSword: Awakening Steam launch was connected to a contract dispute between developer Hound13 and former Korean publisher Webzen. Hound13 publicly said it terminated the publishing agreement on February 13, 2026 after Webzen failed to pay 60% of the agreed Minimum Guarantee on time. Webzen disputed the termination and reportedly sought an injunction to stop the Steam release.

A July 24 report from German gaming publication Mein-MMO says the Seoul District Court rejected Webzen’s injunction claims, treated Hound13’s contract termination as lawful and rejected the translation-material allegation for lack of evidence. The game had already become available on Steam on July 23 KST / July 22 in some Steam regions.

This is a factual timeline, not legal advice. The court-result details below are attributed to current reporting because the full court order has not been published in the official English sources reviewed by this site.

#Timeline

#Hound13’s official position

In its April 22 statement, Hound13 said:

• Webzen had failed to pay 60% of the contractually agreed Minimum Guarantee on schedule;
• Hound13 issued the termination notice in February 2026;
• Webzen later paid the remaining balance;
• Hound13 restructured around its core development team and moved to self-publishing on Steam;
• as developer and copyright holder, Hound13 believed it retained independent service rights after termination;
• Webzen’s assertion that the publishing agreement remained valid was disputed and before the courts.

Those are Hound13’s claims and legal position, not an independent court summary.

#What Webzen reportedly argued

Current reporting says Webzen challenged Hound13’s unilateral termination and sought to prevent the Steam launch. It reportedly argued that:

• the publishing agreement remained valid;
• the termination was legally ineffective;
• Hound13’s Steam release lacked the required publishing authority;
• translation materials were being used without authorization.

The available official English Hound13 statement responds to these issues, but this site has not located an English Webzen filing or the complete court order.

#What the reported injunction decision means

According to Mein-MMO’s July 24 report:

• the Seoul District Court rejected Webzen’s claims for an injunction;
• the court accepted the contract termination as lawful;
• the translation-material allegation was rejected for lack of evidence.

The practical result visible to players is that the Steam release went forward. However, an injunction decision is not automatically the same thing as a final resolution of every possible claim between the companies. Without the full order, this page does not claim that every aspect of the broader dispute is permanently closed.

#Did the dispute delay the game?

The public launch timeline did include a separate Steam review delay immediately before release. Hound13’s launch notice said the planned opening time was pushed while Steam review was completed. That operational delay should not be automatically described as the court injunction itself.

For the exact release timeline, use the release date guide.

#What changed for players?

The Steam version is a self-published premium release by Hound13. Official materials say the earlier gacha mechanics were removed, and the current US Steam store lists:

• base game: $29.99;
• separate Deluxe Pack: $19.99;
• Windows PC release through Steam;
• Single-player and selected Online Co-op content.

Read the price and editions guide and gacha removal guide for those changes.

#Evidence boundary

Confirmed directly from Hound13’s official statement:

• the Korean publishing relationship with Webzen;
• the Minimum Guarantee dispute;
• Hound13’s February 13 termination claim;
• Hound13’s self-publishing position;
• the fact that the legal effect was before the courts in April.

Reported by current news coverage, pending a publicly accessible full court order:

• the detailed wording and scope of the Seoul District Court decision;
• rejection of the injunction claims;
• treatment of the translation-material allegation.

#Related guides

• Release date and Steam opening timeline
• Platforms and Steam availability
• Price and Deluxe Pack
• Roadmap and update status

#Sources

• Hound13 official statement on the Webzen dispute – Hound13’s dated account of the contract termination and service-rights position.
• Mein-MMO report, July 24, 2026 – current report on the injunction result and release context.
• DragonSword: Awakening Steam Store – current released product and publisher listing.
• Google Trends capture, Worldwide / Past 7 days, July 24, 2026 – “dragonsword awakening injunction decision” ranked sixth among visible rising queries and was marked Breakout.