Hound13, the developer of the open-world action RPG Dragon Sword, has abruptly notified its publisher, Webzen, of the termination of their publishing contract. From a purely legal standpoint, a developer stepping forward to break a contract first is facing an overwhelmingly unfavorable battle. However, the current public opinion within the gaming community is heavily leaning towards defending Hound13 and criticizing Webzen.
Let's dig into why gamers are giving the publisher, Webzen, such a cold shoulder regardless of the legal advantages or disadvantages, and uncover the full story and the hidden context behind this unprecedented situation.
Who are the Key Players?
Hound13: A developer founded by the core team behind Dragon Nest. They are highly regarded for their action combat expertise, and their representative title is Hundred Soul.
Webzen: A major game company and publisher best known for the classic MMORPG MU Online series. While a giant in the MMO space, they are infamous for their aggressive monetization.
1. The Sudden Contract Termination: What’s the Inside Story?
Launched with high expectations on January 21, 2026, Dragon Sword received positive reviews from players for its engaging manual combat and combo action. But less than a month after its release, on February 13, Hound13 officially notified Webzen of the contract termination, which was then announced to the community on February 19.
Both sides are currently locked in a fierce dispute with conflicting claims:
Hound13’s Anger: The core issue is Webzen's failure to pay the remaining balance of the contract fee. Hound13 claims that Webzen's severely inadequate marketing at launch hurt the game's success. To make matters worse, the lack of the final payment completely dried up the developer's operational funds.
Webzen’s Rebuttal: On the other hand, Webzen argues that they refused the payment because Hound13's worsening financial situation made the prospect of smooth, ongoing game development and live service uncertain.
According to the current contract terms, the existing service will be maintained for a 3-month grace period, but major updates have effectively come to a dead stop. During this time, Hound13 is desperately preparing to transition to self-publishing for its own survival or searching for a new global publisher and investors to take over the game's rights.
2. Webzen's Painful Track Record in the Gacha Market
Even though Hound13 made the unilateral notification, the reason gamers are siding with the developer boils down to Webzen's disappointing history in the anime-style gacha market—what the Korean community refers to as their "karma."
In anime-style character collection games, player affection and trust in the characters are the very lifelines of the service. However, Webzen has thoroughly destroyed player trust through "cash-grab" operations focused entirely on short-term profits.
The Eminence in Shadow (Korean Server): Shut down in October 2024, failing to last even a single year. The biggest issue was the deception: just 20 days before the End of Service (EoS) announcement, they reassured players that there were "no plans to shut down," only to close the doors abruptly. They even ran aggressive cash-grab events right up until the EoS notice and refused to provide proper refunds, which ultimately sparked massive truck protests at their headquarters.
Ragnador: This game also ended its service exactly one year after its launch in September 2023. Citing poor performance, Webzen pulled the plug unilaterally without any proper communication with the player base.
Due to these back-to-back sudden shutdowns, a fatal stigma has attached itself to the publisher: "Never trust an anime game published by Webzen." The community's applause for Hound13’s escape attempt stems from a strong underlying fear that Dragon Sword could be discarded at any moment as long as it remains under Webzen's umbrella.
3. A Trustless Publisher Pouring Out New Games
Despite this icy reception, Webzen is still aggressively expanding its subculture lineup. The big question is: can they actually get gamers to open their tightly sealed wallets and hearts?
Terbis: An in-house developed 2D anime collectible RPG by Webzen Nova. Unlike their history of publishing and shutting down third-party games, this is a core project they are pushing hard since it's their own IP. They are putting a lot of effort into it, including aiming for a Japan-first launch before a Korean release. However, the biggest hurdle will be whether they can restore player trust while wearing the "Webzen" name tag.
Gate of Gates: A new title revealed at G-Star 2025, developed by Korean studio Retrail and published by Webzen. It's a strategy defense game featuring randomized deck building. Because it is a published title, skeptical eyes are already watching, worried it might follow in the exact same footsteps as Dragon Sword, The Eminence in Shadow, and Ragnador.
4. Will a "White Knight" Appear for Hound13?
Returning to the Dragon Sword crisis: if this turns into a drawn-out legal dispute, it is realistically almost impossible for Hound13 to withstand Webzen's massive capital and large law firms. Furthermore, the publisher currently holds the user database (DB) and the service rights.
Ultimately, Hound13's only path to survival is the intervention of a new publisher or investor with massive capital. The most desperate scenario they need right now is a "White Knight" stepping in to pay off the penalties and sunk costs to Webzen, buying out the rights entirely to achieve a dramatic, mutually agreed-upon contract termination.
Gamers do not want to see Dragon Sword, a game that showcased excellent action, buried simply because of corporate circumstances. We are cheering for Hound13 to quickly find a solid new nest where they can communicate with players purely through their game. At the same time, Webzen must bitterly accept this cold public opinion and deeply reflect on its heavy responsibility as a publisher.
This story continues in Part 2: The Truth Behind the "100% Refund" Trap.
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