Pearl Abyss says Crimson Desert drove a huge Q1 revenue jump after launch

Pearl Abyss says Crimson Desert gave the company a major boost in the first quarter, following the game’s March 19 launch. In its latest earnings results, the studio reported operating revenue of ₩328.5 billion, or about $220.6 million, up 419.8% year over year.

Most of that came from Crimson Desert itself, which brought in ₩266.5 billion, roughly $179.1 million. Pearl Abyss said sales were split evenly between PC and console, and that more than 80% of the game’s revenue came from North America and Europe.

Operating profit rose to ₩212.1 billion ($142.5 million), up from ₩7.9 billion a year earlier. Net profit also climbed sharply, reaching ₩170 billion ($114.2 million). Across the company as a whole, PC made up 59% of revenue, console accounted for 38%, and mobile was 3%.

Black Desert was comparatively steady, generating ₩61.6 billion ($41.4 million) for the quarter. Pearl Abyss also said console revenue increased 31% quarter over quarter after Crimson Desert launched.

The company expects Crimson Desert to slow down in Q2, which isn’t unusual for a big premium release where early sales tend to do most of the work. Pearl Abyss said it’s planning to support the game with patches and updates, and it’s also looking at platform expansion and future DLC.

Looking ahead, Pearl Abyss forecast total operating revenue between ₩879 billion and ₩975.4 billion for the year, with Crimson Desert expected to contribute ₩644.1 billion to ₩734.8 billion of that.

Outside of Crimson Desert, Pearl Abyss said DokeV is still in pre-production and Plan 8 remains in the concept stage. The company also recently sold Fenris Creations, formerly CCP Games, back to its CEO, according to a report on the deal.