Crimson Desert is shaping up to be one of the biggest game releases of 2026. It is a large open-world adventure game, although it did not seem to be running as Game of the Year contender. Early reviews gave it a score below 80 on Metacritic, which worried investors. As a result, Pearl Abyss shares dropped by 30% shortly after the reviews were published.
However, the situation changed very quickly. The game sold more than two million copies in its first day, and it has now passed three million copies sold in less than a week. Thanks to these strong sales, Pearl Abyss shares have risen by 26% in just a few days, almost back to where they were before release. There are also expectations that the shares could rise even higher, driven by the game’s success.
According to official data, the company’s shares are now valued at 50,200 won (about $33.32 per share). This represents an increase of 9,500 won, or about 26.8% growth, compared to the value shortly after launch. In simple terms, investors are now more confident, as the game’s strong sales have shown that mixed reviews did not hurt its commercial performance.
Looking at a longer period, Pearl Abyss shares have increased by 56% since March 2025, although they are still 18% lower than their peak in 2020, during the start of the pandemic. Another positive point for Crimson Desert is its user reception. The game currently has a score of 8.4 out of 10 on Metacritic, and on Steam it has “Very Positive” reviews, with 81% of players recommending it.
In other news, Pearl Abyss confirmed that some 2D art in Crimson Desert was made using generative AI and was “unintentionally included in the release.” After backlash and reports of strange images, the studio said it will remove them in future patches.
