Crimson Desert has sold so well that its developer, Pearl Abyss, has reportedly given every employee a $3,400 bonus.
South Korean publication MTN said Pearl Abyss had awarded staff with a 5 million Won special bonus to celebrate Crimson Desert selling over 5 million copies.
Pearl Abyss CEO Heo Jin-young reportedly said in an internal statement: “I express my deep respect and gratitude for the hard work of each and every one of you who created a product that the world is enthusiastic about, and I am paying a celebratory bonus for achieving 5 million sales to all employees who have silently fulfilled their roles in their respective positions.
“Our journey does not end here. The potential we confirmed today will be the most powerful driving force to overcome any challenge we face in the future.”
MTN said that latest official figures put Pearl Abyss at 733 employees, which means the total paid out for the bonuses is 3.7 billion won (approx. $2.5 million). Apparently it doesn’t stop here, either, with another bonus due at the beginning of 2027 based on 2026 financial performance. IGN has asked Pearl Abyss for comment.
Last week, Pearl Abyss won praise from the Prime Minister of South Korea, Kim Min-seok, who pointed to the fact that Crimson Desert was created in-house using Pearl Abyss’ own technology as opposed to a western game engine, and incorporated Korean elements like taekwondo and Korean cuisine. Anyone who’s played Crimson Desert will know just how important cooking food is to your success, especially during boss fights. But the food does have a distinctly Korean flavor to it, and many of the recipes result in food that looks inspired by Korean hot pot dishes.
Kim Min-seok said Crimson Desert had opened a “new chapter in K-content,” and that its success “serves as a crucial turning point, demonstrating that the domestic game industry can expand and leap forward across diverse platforms, including consoles.”
South Korean developers, which are known for their enormously popular mobile and online-focused PC games, have in recent years enjoyed significant success branching out onto consoles with single-player adventure games. Shift Up’s Stellar Blade, which released exclusively on PlayStation 5, is a high-profile example, as is Neowiz’s successful soulslike Lies of P. But Crimson Desert has sold faster than them all.
Crimson Desert just got its biggest patch yet. It made significant improvements to the game, including the addition of difficulty settings, new storage improvements, and new pets. If you’re just getting into the game, we recommend you take a look at our guide to Things to Do First in Crimson Desert, plus Things Crimson Desert Doesn’t Tell You. We’ve also got a guide to the Best Early Weapons we recommend picking up, the Best Skills to Get First (including a handy explainer of the skills system), and 34 Essential Tips and Tricks to help you succeed in Pywel.
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
