Despite mixed reviews, pre-orders for the open-world game Crimson Desert are strong. According to a recent report from Alinea Analytics, the game has already sold over 360,000 copies on Steam through pre-orders, generating over $20 million in revenue for Pearl Abyss before its official launch.
The studio announced that over 3 million players have added Crimson Desert to their Steam wishlists. Analyst Elliot estimates that about 2.2 million of those wishlists came from Steam itself. By looking at these wishlists, he also discovered what other games these players enjoy. For example, 62% of those who wishlisted Crimson Desert have also played The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, 44% have played Elden Ring, and 16% have played Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2.
This suggests that Crimson Desert has already attracted players who enjoy expansive open-world games with different playstyles. Games like The Witcher 3 emphasize storytelling, while Elden Ring is known for its challenging combat. Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 aims to provide a large, immersive world where various gameplay mechanics work together to create a unique experience.
Elliot attributes the recent success to Pearl Abyss’s effective marketing and strong community engagement. According to the analyst, excitement grew significantly in recent months due to consistent community interaction and strategically timed announcements. Overall, the marketing campaign, including the gameplay reveal and detailed feature showcases, has been very well executed.
Pearl Abyss has truly excelled at managing player feedback. They’ve done a great job of listening to the gaming community and delivering updates and communication that players actually appreciate.
Early reviews for Crimson Desert caused Pearl Abyss’s stock price to drop nearly 29% just before the game launched. The company’s shares fell from approximately $43.66 (₩65,500) to around $30.66 (₩46,600) on the South Korean stock market.
The drop in the company’s stock price suggests investors had hoped Crimson Desert would receive better reviews than it did. Currently, the game has an average score of 78 on Metacritic. This score reflects a wide range of opinions, with some reviewers giving it perfect or near-perfect scores (100 or 90), while others rated it below 50.
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2026-03-19 18:12