{"rewrite":{"id":"r_298983a49e31ba36baba346c","clusterId":"c_f475af0f2daa98e8e16d4951","slug":"dragon-sword-awakening-launches-on-pc-july-23-2026","model":"deepseek-v4-flash","headline":"Dragon Sword: Awakening Launches on PC July 23, 2026","summary":"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.","whyItMatters":"The release date announcement confirms Hound13 is proceeding with self-publishing despite an ongoing legal dispute with former publisher Webzen, making the game's commercial future a test of developer rights in South Korea's game industry.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003eThe game is set on the continent of Orbis, where six heroes once saved the world from a dragon. Sixty years later, the protagonist, a boy named Lute, sets out on a journey and becomes involved with a mercenary named Johnny and an elf named Castella. A giant shadow then falls over the continent, and Lute must find the former heroes.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHound13 is led by CEO Park Jong-sik, who worked on \u0026#34;Dragon Nest.\u0026#34; The studio\u0026#39;s previous work includes the smartphone action game \u0026#34;Hundred Soul,\u0026#34; which launched in Japan in July 2019. \u0026#34;DragonSword: Awakening\u0026#34; was originally developed as the live-service \u0026#34;DragonSword,\u0026#34; which released in South Korea in January 2026. One month later, Hound13 terminated its contract with publisher Webzen, citing unpaid fees. Webzen has disputed the termination and filed a preliminary injunction to block Hound13\u0026#39;s self-publishing.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAccording to Hound13\u0026#39;s April statement, the publishing contract was legally terminated as of February. The developer, as the copyright holder, retains independent service rights, and the Steam release is based on lawful authority. The legal battle between the two companies is expected to continue.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eImprovements made after the demo feedback include the addition of a lock-on function, separation of dodge and sprint inputs, controller support and combat operation improvements, filter functions for recipe books, display of material counts in enhancement menus, and camera sensitivity adjustment options. The story includes main quests up to Chapter 8, as well as hero and NPC quests. The game has surpassed 150,000 wishlist registrations on Steam. A live stream revealing the future roadmap will be held during Steam Next Fest. The Deluxe Edition includes the base game, a digital art book, an original soundtrack, and the limited familiar \u0026#34;Brave Baby Dragon.\u0026#34; Other DLC such as costume sets and additional familiars will be released sequentially after launch.\u003c/p\u003e","blueskyPost":"Hound13's Dragon Sword: Awakening launches July 23 on Steam for 3,400 yen-a premium rebuild of the live-service DragonSword, with all gacha removed and a legal fight with ex-publisher Webzen still unresolved.","twitterPost":"The anime open-world RPG Dragon Sword: Awakening hits Steam July 23. Hound13 stripped out gacha and went premium after a contract dispute with Webzen. A demo is live now.","threadsPost":null,"newsletterBlurb":"Hound13 has set a July 23 release date for Dragon Sword: Awakening, a premium standalone version of its anime-style open-world RPG. The game removes all gacha elements and is self-published by the developer amid an ongoing legal dispute with former publisher Webzen. A free demo is available on Steam until June 24.","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"4Gamer.net\",\"url\":\"https://www.4gamer.net/games/999/G099933/20260618055/\",\"title\":\"Anime-style open-world action RPG \\\"Dragon Sword: Awakening\\\" to be released for PC on July 23, 2026\"},{\"source\":\"Automaton\",\"url\":\"https://automaton-media.com/articles/newsjp/20260618-450576/\",\"title\":\"Anime-style open-world RPG 'DragonSword: Awakening' to release on July 23. A premium standalone game based on the 'DragonSword' mired in legal disputes.\"},{\"source\":\"Game Spark\",\"url\":\"http://www.gamespark.jp/article/2026/06/18/168167.html\",\"title\":\"Anime-style Open World RPG 'DragonSword: Awakening' to Release on July 23! Limited Free Distribution of Paid DLC Planned at Launch Event\"}]","lintFlagsJson":null,"lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":10212,"outputTokens":1457,"status":"published","repairAttempts":0,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":1781792481,"createdAt":"2026-06-18T14:16:33.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-06-18T14:18:15.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-06-18T14:18:15.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_f475af0f2daa98e8e16d4951","canonicalTitle":"アニメ調オープンワールドアクションRPG「ドラゴンソード:アウェイクニング」，PC向けに2026年7月23日発売予定","representativeArticleId":"a_eef4ebf96fd71d5dedf00731","sourceCount":4,"writtenSourceCount":3,"writeAttempts":0,"isSolo":false,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[],\"manga_titles\":[],\"work_titles\":[\"DragonSword: Awakening\"],\"studios\":[\"Hound13\"],\"people\":[],\"type\":\"release\",\"domain\":\"games\",\"is_roundup\":false}","contentType":"news","status":"published","firstSeenAt":"2026-06-18T09:21:43.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-06-19T07:15:03.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-06-19T07:15:40.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"4Gamer.net","url":"https://www.4gamer.net/games/999/G099933/20260618055/","title":"アニメ調オープンワールドアクションRPG「ドラゴンソード:アウェイクニング」，PC向けに2026年7月23日発売予定"},{"source":"Denfaminicogamer","url":"https://news.denfaminicogamer.jp/news/260619f","title":"アニメ調のかわいいオープンワールド・アクションRPG『ドラゴンソード:アウェイクニング』7月23日に発売決定。本編のみの通常版にくわ、アートブックやサントラなどの付属するデラックスエディションも発売予定"},{"source":"Automaton","url":"https://automaton-media.com/articles/newsjp/20260618-450576/","title":"アニメ調オープンワールドRPG『ドラゴンソード:アウェイクニング』、7月23日配信へ。“泥沼の訴訟沙汰”にある『ドラゴンソード』をベースに、買い切り型ゲーム化"},{"source":"Game Spark","url":"http://www.gamespark.jp/article/2026/06/19/168199.html","title":"アニメ調の買い切りオープンワールドRPG『ドラゴンソード』Steam版リリース後もキャラ4体無料で追加へ！コンソール版も準備する計画"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":[],"manga_titles":[],"work_titles":["DragonSword: Awakening"],"studios":["Hound13"],"people":[],"type":"release","domain":"games","is_roundup":false},"keyFacts":["Dragon Sword: Awakening launches on PC via Steam on July 23, 2026 at 7:00 AM JST.","The game is a premium standalone title that removes all gacha elements, making all playable characters and core content obtainable through gameplay.","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 self-publishing.","A free demo covering the first chapter is available on Steam until June 24 at 2:00 AM JST.","The game features a tag-action battle system with 19 heroes and supports multiplayer hunts and raids."]}