The Asia MMORPG Black Desert seems to be well received in the West. Even better than expected.
There aren’t precise figures for the pre-sales of Black Desert, but it seems that the game is generating a bigger buzz than one might assume. After all, publisher Daum is a newcomer here in the West, as the MMORPG genre has been considered declining here for years and Asia MMORPGs do not have the reputation of reaching the mainstream. Usually, they are yet another niche within the MMORPG niche and therefore rarely appear on gaming sites. Black Desert seems to defy this trend, which is due to, but not only, the strong graphics.
In the Black Desert forum, fans are trying to figure out how well the game is selling. They are posting invoice numbers and assuming that the increasing number of these numbers indicates how many “orders of the game or upgrades” Black Desert has sold.
In any case, the number exploded in the last week. After rising by about 20,000 in recent weeks, it increased by 80,000 between February 7 and 13. It now stands at 324,000. Although it is questionable whether all of these are pre-orders, the trend is real and understandable. After all, a closed beta is starting soon, where players can buy access through pre-orders.
The interest in Black Desert is high. As reported by 2p, 10,000 beta keys given out officially by the game via Facebook were gone within an hour.
Just like with the sand park MMORPG ArcheAge , it could be seen that the West has an appetite for a different kind of MMORPG that still offers high spectacle. It will be interesting to see how Black Desert develops over the next weeks and where the game stands after release. Because Black Desert relies significantly less on PvE and quests than Western players are used to from theme park MMORPGs. The game requires a change in thinking.
Time and again, one hears that players are in the mood for “something different.” The actual success of Black Desert will show how serious such statements are.
In South Korea, the game has not yet seen great success compared to Blade and Soul or other “classic titles”.
Anyone who is interested in participating in the soon-to-start beta: We are currently raffling off 400 keys. We have dealt with the game in a preview.
