In 2019, Pearl Abyss announced the development of a new large MMORPG: Crimson Desert was to be the successor to their successful online role-playing game Black Desert. Originally, a release was announced for Crimson Desert in 2021. What do we know about the game in 2023?
That was originally the plan:
- Crimson Desert was to become an MMORPG where players experience the story of a group of mercenaries. The game was supposed to be released for PC and “consoles” – by “consoles,” they apparently mean PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. The South Koreans are reluctant to clarify this.
- The online role-playing game was to be developed with a new, powerful engine – a beta was announced for 2020, and a release for the 4th quarter of 2021.
- Crimson Desert resembled Game of Thrones in its presentation, was heavily western-oriented, and the main character resembled Jon Snow. However, in the structure of the game, it seemed to be oriented towards Red Dead Redemption 2: A single-player campaign with an endgame as an MMO.
Major Direction Change, Followed by Silence
This was the big turnaround: In December 2020, Pearl Abyss suddenly stated that Crimson Desert is not actually an MMORPG, but “its own genre.” The description now leaned towards “Open World Action Adventure.”
In July 2021, the release date was postponed. It was only stated that the game would arrive “later.”
Since then, little has been heard about the game.
Revenues at Black Desert Decline – New Game Needed
This is how the company is currently doing: Pearl Abyss held an investor call on February 15, 2023, for the 4th quarter of 2022 and its business year. There, they presented how the current game brands Black Desert and EVE Online are performing:
- Revenue decreased slightly in 2022 compared to 2021.
- Compared to 2019, the revenues of the games have significantly declined.
- The majority of the company’s revenue comes from Black Desert, particularly on PC and in North America and Europe.
The severe loss in the 4th quarter of 2022, according to MassivelyOp, is apparently not due to a slump in games, but the losses stem from the financial sector of Pearl Abyss.
Pearl Abyss Presents the New Project to Investors
This is the status of Crimson Desert in 2023: In the presentation, “Crimson Desert (A Saga Written in Blood)” is listed as the next major project. It is described as an “Open World Action Adventure,” is expected to offer cross-platform compatibility for PC and consoles – but a release date is still unknown.
In November 2022, the 2nd half of 2023 was announced as the likely release date.
The date also seems likely, as the presentation suggests that Crimson Desert is the next new project from Pearl Abyss. Alongside DokeV and Plan B, they have two other games in the pipeline.
This is what Pearl Abyss says about the future: As an outlook for investors, the Korean company stated that it wants to focus on the following:
- realistic graphics
- an engine for open world games
- rapid content development and automated development
- cross-platform and AI-based coding
- a motion capture studio
The goal for new games starting in 2023 is to create “globally appealing story-driven AAA games” that will support cross-platform play.
Pearl Abyss is apparently taking its time with the announcement of Crimson Desert
This is what’s behind it: There are two possibilities as to why the game does not have an official release date, even though the end of 2023 is on the table:
- Either Pearl Abyss intends to keep the game under wraps for a long time and wants to reveal more about the game shortly before release.
- Alternatively, it is still in the midst of development and a release date remains uncertain.
Financially, it might be time for Pearl Abyss to release a significant new game.
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