Dragon Sword: Awakening Pulls Mod Guidelines After Community Backlash
The reversal suggests Hound13 is prioritizing community goodwill over preemptive content control, a notable stance for a buy-to-play title with co-op features.
Key Facts
- Hound13 published official mod guidelines for 'Dragon Sword: Awakening' on August 24, 2026, ahead of Steam Workshop support.
- The guidelines were withdrawn on August 25, 2026, following community backlash in Steam comment sections.
- Hound13 reduced its requirements to two principles: no infringing on rights of game or DLC purchasers, and no unauthorized use of officially undisclosed content.
- 'Dragon Sword: Awakening' launched on Steam on July 23, 2026, as a buy-to-play anime-style open-world action RPG.
- Future policy on Steam Workshop support for 'Dragon Sword: Awakening' is under reconsideration.
Reporting from 2 sources: GameBusiness.jp, Game Spark.
Hound13 has withdrawn the official mod guidelines for the PC open-world action RPG 'Dragon Sword: Awakening' after community backlash. The developer published the guidelines on August 24, ahead of planned Steam Workshop support, which is still dated for a later announcement. The original rules permitted free skin mods, quality-of-life improvements, and difficulty-increasing mods, while prohibiting mods containing nudity, those that circumvent DLC purchases, and those that lower difficulty. Distribution of mods outside the Steam Workshop was also not officially allowed. Opposition emerged in Steam comment sections, with players arguing that restricting difficulty-reducing and R-18 mods was excessive for a single-player and co-op game. Hound13 apologized for discouraging community creativity and reduced its stance to two minimum principles: avoiding acts that infringe on the rights of game or DLC purchasers, and avoiding use of officially undisclosed content without permission. The developer cited confirmed mods using methods it cannot control as the reason for drafting guidelines early. Future policy, including whether to support the Workshop, is under reconsideration.
The guidelines, published August 24, spelled out what counted as acceptable: self-made free character skins, texture and color changes, partial appearance changes such as glasses, capes, and accessories, FOV, UI, and quality-of-life improvements, and mods that raise difficulty or add challenges. The banned list also covered mods that improperly unlock achievements or progress, paid mods, and mods infringing third-party rights. For highly malicious content, such as redistribution of unimplemented assets, Hound13 said it would request deletion. The developer warned that even after Workshop support arrives, co-op play will be unavailable when mods are in use, and compatibility and stable operation after game updates are not guaranteed. Not all community reaction was opposed. Some Steam commenters showed understanding, with one noting that "one should read between the lines of the expression 'not officially permitted'" and another pointing out that "since childlike characters also appear, they may be sensitive to R-18 mods." Dragon Sword: Awakening launched on Steam on July 23 and holds a "Very Positive" rating, with 90% of 9,593 reviews recommending it. Hound13 reported cumulative sales of over 200,000 copies within one week of release. The game is a buy-to-play title that carries the feel of a free-to-play anime-style open-world action RPG.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 2 cited sources below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.