Hound 13's open world action RPG, 'Dragon Sword: Awakening,' has announced a July 23 release following the milestone of surpassing 200k wishlists on Steam.

Hound 13 CEO Park Jung-sik posted a message on the game's Steam page today (the 23rd) to express his gratitude for reaching the 200k-wishlist mark. 'Dragon Sword: Awakening,' which released a demo on June 5, also participated in Steam Next Fest from June 16 to 23 (KST), making a strong impression on global fans.

The game has been well-received for its signature 'switch action' system—refined from the developer's previous title, 'Hundred Soul'—combined with an open world that captures a classic fantasy aesthetic. Although the demo's main story was short, the developers noted it represented only 5% of the full game, offering a glimpse of the diverse content to come. Furthermore, the team garnered positive attention by unveiling remodeled versions of characters like Lute and Seris, which had previously received mixed feedback, and by showcasing new character Charlotte and the 'Tower of Trials' gameplay during a developer livestream. These efforts helped the game rank among the top 50 most-played demos during the June 2026 edition of Steam Next Fest.

Expressing gratitude for the user response, CEO Park Jung-sik announced the official launch for July 23. This keeps the promise made when the game was first announced as a package title: to release a demo during Steam Next Fest in June, followed by a full launch in July. "We are taking every piece of valuable feedback from the demo to heart," Park said. "The official launch build is being polished to a much higher level of completion by incorporating those suggestions."

'Dragon Sword: Awakening' is a package version of the live-service game 'Dragon Sword,' which Hound 13 originally launched through Webzen in January. The game's operations were disrupted after Hound 13 announced the termination of its publishing contract on February 19, citing Webzen's failure to pay the remaining minimum guarantee. Although Webzen paid the balance on the 27th, the two companies failed to reach a mutual agreement. Consequently, Hound 13 announced in April that it would re-release the title as a single-player package game, 'Dragon Sword: Awakening.' Following its participation in Steam Next Fest, the company is now preparing for a fresh start with the announcement of the official release date.

'Dragon Sword: Awakening' will launch on Steam as a package game on July 23, priced at ₩33k. The business model will consist solely of DLC, including the base game, in-game costume sets, and select familiars; further details will be provided on the Steam page at a later date.