Just before the launch of its Steam Workshop integration, Korean studio Hound13 Inc. announced the official rules for user-created mods in its RPG, Dragon Sword: Awakening. While the developers claimed their intention was to regulate fan creations, the detailed regulations triggered strong criticism from the game community. Players noted that although the project is sold as a buy-to-play single-player adventure, the severity of the bans rivals the control policies of live-service online games.
According to the developers' regulations, only a very limited range of content types is allowed in the Workshop. Players may create free character skin replacements, modify textures and color schemes, add decorative accessories such as glasses or cloaks, adjust camera angles and UI elements, and publish gameplay mods that solely increase overall difficulty and add new hardcore challenges. The prohibited list covers most common categories of fan works, including a complete ban on any trainers or cheat tools; mods containing pornographic content; characters from other games; and any attempts to unlock content without purchasing the paid DLC.
The developers also dedicated an entire section of the terms to protecting in-game assets and combating leaks. The rules explicitly prohibit extracting game assets and unlocking hidden content discovered through data mining. A representative from Hound13 Inc. stated that the company plans to request the removal of non-compliant mods and block access to them on third-party fan sites, arguing that strict control is necessary to protect official DLC revenue and ensure long-term operational support for the game.
In addition to content bans, the studio has imposed strict technical restrictions on online co-op functionality. The co-op mode will be completely unavailable if any third-party files are present, and it will also be locked even if only officially approved mods from the Steam Workshop are enabled. The developers further stated that they assume no technical support obligations for modified versions, warning players of potential glitches, frame rate drops, and save file corruption.
The release of this guideline sparked intense controversy on Steam, with players accusing the studio of fundamentally misunderstanding how single-player modding works. Players pointed out that attempts to ban difficulty-reducing mods and curate creative content seemed like leftover thinking from the project's mobile predecessor. Many commentators argued that such restrictions would render the official Workshop useless, merely driving the player community to distribute mods on independent websites.