Hound 13's open world action RPG, 'Dragon Sword: Awakening,' reached No. 1 in domestic sales and No. 5 in global sales on Steam within just one hour of its official release.

'Dragon Sword: Awakening' is a repackaged, self-published version of the live-service game 'Dragon Sword,' which Hound 13 originally launched through Webzen last January. From its initial reveal, the game drew attention for its open world, which captures a classic fantasy aesthetic, and its signature switch-action system—an evolution of the developer's previous title, 'Hundred Soul.' The project faced conflict with Webzen after Hound 13 terminated their publishing contract in February due to unpaid minimum guarantees (MG), but the issue was resolved on the 22nd when the Seoul Central District Court dismissed Webzen's injunction to block the self-release. While the game was originally scheduled to launch at 7:00 AM on the 23rd, the release was delayed by final Steam reviews and ultimately went live around 12:10 PM.

Ahead of the launch, Hound 13 established Discord and YouTube channels for Dragon Sword: Awakening and released a demo during the Steam Next Fest in June to build awareness among domestic and international gamers. Although the demo featured only one hour of the main story, it received a positive response for its improved controls compared to the live version, a design shift that moved all gacha elements—such as characters and Karma—into in-game rewards, and its distinct classic-style graphics. Thanks to this, the game surpassed 200k Steam wishlists after the Next Fest and exceeded 450k just before launch.

Dragon Sword: Awakening is available in a Standard Edition, which includes the base game, and a Deluxe Edition, which adds a familiar, a digital art book, and the soundtrack. They are priced at ₩33k and ₩55,000, respectively. To celebrate the launch, the Deluxe Edition is currently discounted by 10% to ₩49500. Additionally, cosmetic items like familiars and costumes are sold separately as DLC, and players who purchase the base game within the launch period will receive an 'Abyssal Direwolf' familiar for free.

More information about Dragon Sword: Awakening can be found on its Steam page.