It’s no secret Crimson Desert was an incredibly popular release this March. However, it has proven such a success that Pearl Abyss has just announced a 419 percent increase in operating revenue compared to this time last year. And that, it says, means DLC could be on the way.
This information comes via Pearl Abyss’ Q12026 earnings letter, which is full of plenty of business insight into the company (as well as a lovely little drawing of a deep sea diver looking at a big pearl).
Crimson Desert’s success is big enough news that it makes the report’s first page, the company saying outright that “operating revenue and profit increased substantially, thanks to the successful launch of Crimson Desert.” More specifically, its operating revenue came in at posted ₩328.5bn (~ $220m), an increase of 419.8 percent year-on-year, and 382.4 percent quarter-on-quarter. Of that revenue, operating profit came in at ₩212.1bn (~ $142m).
Pearl Abyss goes on to break down the performance of both Crimson Desert and its MMO Black Desert. Black Desert’s revenue remains stable year-on-year, which Pearl Abyss credits to continued support for the PC version, the launch of a new PC client, and the remaster update on mobile.
As for Crimson Desert, Pearl Abyss’s sales have been split 50:50 between consoles and PC, showing a nice balance of popularity between the pair. The regional breakdown for the company’s revenue is especially interesting though, as North America and Europe accounted for 81 percent of this surge in income.
Digging a little deeper, the North America and European share increased by 25 percent quarter-over-quarter in large part due to Crimson Desert, as more than 80 percent of that game’s sales were made in those regions.
As for Pearl Abyss’ 2026 outlook, revenue for Black Desert is expected to soften, and the same goes for Crimson Desert due to the nature of single-player premium games. Still, the company has its eyes set on two titles that are still in development – DokeV and Plan 8 – with hopes of releasing a new game every two to three years. The company is also looking into Crimson Desert DLC, which is certainly something to look forward to.
