Game developer Pearl Abyss reports 30,200% on-quarter increase in operating profit due to Crimson Desert

The Korean video game developer Pearl Abyss reported a shocking 30,200 percent surge in operating profit from the fourth quarter of 2025 to the first quarter of this year, thanks to its latest release, Crimson Desert.

The company recorded 328.5 billion won ($220.5 million) in consolidated revenue and 212.1 billion won in operating profit during the first quarter, up 419.8 percent and 2,584.8 percent, respectively, compared to the same period last year. Its operating profit skyrocketed 30,200 percent from the previous quarter, right before the release of Crimson Desert.

Its net profit also jumped 2,107.8 percent on year to stand at 170 billion won.

Crimson Desert is an open-world adventure game that was released on both consoles and PCs on March 19. It is Pearl Abyss's first game in six years since Shadow Arena, the spinoff of Black Desert.

Overseas sales accounted for 94 percent of Pearl Abyss's first-quarter revenue, with North America and Europe alone comprising 81 percent. 

By title, Black Desert generated 61.6 billion won in revenue, and Crimson Desert contributed 266.5 billion won. By platforms, consoles and PCs each accounted for 50 percent of Crimson Desert's sales.

Pearl Abyss credited the success of Crimson Desert to the technical capabilities of its proprietary BlackSpace Engine, which the company said delivered “seamless open-world gameplay, realistic physics and high quality graphics.”

Since the game's launch, the company has rolled out a series of updates to address issues with the controls, content and user interface. The game has maintained a “Very Positive” rating on the global gaming platform Steam.

BY LEE JIAN [lee.jian@joongang.co.kr]