Hound13, the game developer sued by Webzen over the termination of mobile game "Dragonsword" publishing, pushed back, saying the contract was lawfully terminated.
Hound13 said on the 22nd on its website that "the publishing contract with Webzen was lawfully terminated as of Feb. 13, 2026," adding, "Webzen failed to fulfill its obligation to pay the explicitly agreed minimum guarantee (MG) in the publishing contract, so we terminated it according to the procedures set out in the contract."
It added, "Webzen's claim that 'the publishing contract remains in effect' is nothing more than a unilateral assertion by Webzen," and "the effect of the termination is a matter for the court to decide."
Earlier, Hound13 opened a "Dragonsword: Awakening" page on the PC platform Steam, and said it would convert the existing game into a single-player package and release it in July.
In response, Webzen said the day before that "Hound13's preparations for a Steam release are proceeding unilaterally without any prior agreement," and filed a lawsuit seeking confirmation of the publishing contract with the court, along with an injunction to block self-publishing.
Hound13 added, "We plan to unveil a demo in June this year and are proceeding smoothly with development so that you can enjoy Dragonsword again with a release in July."
Dragonsword was released on Jan. 21 but fell short of expectations, failing to enter the top sales rankings of major app markets.
At the time, Hound13 announced the termination of the publishing contract, saying Webzen did not pay 60% of the MG that was to be completed after the game's release and demanded that the company be incorporated as a subsidiary at a low price.
By contrast, Webzen claimed that while discussing amicable service operation measures, Hound13 unilaterally disclosed the contract termination externally. Afterward, Webzen paid the remaining MG and continued the service.