Crimson Desert has been delayed yet again, with the upcoming RPG seeing its release date shoved back a year.
Crimson Desert is an upcoming action role-playing game that serves as a spin-off of the MMORPG Black Desert Online. The game is set to focus on Macduff, a mercenary in the continent of Pywel struggling with a violent past. Black Desert Online was an overnight sensation in the crowded MMORPG space, so fans were excited to see a new take on the game and the expansion of the brand as a whole.
The title is set to be Pearl Abyss’ first foray into single-player games but its scope seems to grow with each passing year, with more mechanics and story beats added to the title. That has made for some growing pains for the company, resulting in repeated delays.
What is Crimson Desert’s release date?
Crimson Desert is now planned to be released in Q2 2025.
This is not the first time Crimson Desert has faced delays. The game was first revealed in 2019 and was targeted for a 2021 release, as of 2020. But in 2021, Pearl Abyss announced it wanted the best possible experience for its players while minimizing the negative impact on its dev team.
This release date was pushed back to 2022, then to late 2023, then to Q2 2024. As 2023 comes to a close, the Pearl Abyss team has adjusted the release schedule once more to 2025 for both Crimson Desert. Though no official statement was made on the matter, the news came from financial reporting by Insight Korea.
It was also indicated that other titles being developed by Pearl Abyss were also quietly pushed back. Shadow Arena is the only other non-mobile game from Pearl Abyss. The title received mixed reviews. The criticisms were primarily leveled at the intense focus on microtransactions in the game, particularly for playable characters.
A trailer for Crimson Desert was released in August 2023, showing gameplay footage in rapid-fire fashion. The delays and infrequent updates from Pearl Abyss have left many wondering about the state of the game and what it might actually be like upon release.
Is Black Desert Online dying?
Black Desert Online is still a popular game, but is on a downward trend in some ways.
In 2024, Black Desert Online will celebrate its 10th anniversary. Engagement for Black Desert Online is still significant, with the game averaging between 15,000 and 20,000 players at any given moment on Steam, per Steam Charts. This does not account for other platforms or DRMs.
These metrics on Steam are comparable to various other notable MMORPGs such as Amazon Games‘ New World. has seen generally higher player counts in 2023 relative to 2022.
On the revenue side, however, things aren’t looking so good. Pearl Abyss has reported declining revenue for Black Desert Online. This means that Pearl Abyss likely needs Crimson Desert to be a smashing succes.