Pearl Abyss posted a weaker second quarter as the launch surge behind Crimson Desert, which released in March, tapered off, GamesIndustry.biz reports. Operating revenue fell 41.4% quarter-on-quarter to 192.6 billion won ($135.9 million) and operating profit fell 68.1% to 67.6 billion won ($47.7 million). Net profit dropped 58.3% to 70.9 billion won ($50 million).
The comparison is against a first quarter in which earnings had surged 419.8%. The quarter also came in below the company's own guidance, which Pearl Abyss attributed to sales splits across distribution channels for Crimson Desert, regional pricing differences, time lags between sell-through and revenue recognition for physical copies, and revenue deferrals tied to refund guarantees.
Where the revenue came from
North America and Europe supplied 75% of revenue in the quarter, with Asia at 16% and Korea at 9%. By platform, PC accounted for 61%, console 34% and mobile 5%. Crimson Desert alone represented roughly 70% of total revenue, selling 2.11 million copies in the quarter for 136.1 billion won ($96 million); 82% of those units were digital.
The Black Desert franchise generated 55 billion won ($38.8 million), a slight decline the company put down to a focus on content optimisation rather than major expansions.
Guidance and what's next
Pearl Abyss now expects full-year operating revenue of 709.8 billion to 743.8 billion won ($501 million to $525 million), with operating profit between 315.5 billion and 345.2 billion won ($222.7 million to $243.6 million).
Downloadable content for Crimson Desert is in development, with a release date to be announced in the third quarter, and the studio says the open-world RPG has reached a playable baseline on Nintendo Switch 2 ahead of a targeted launch in the first half of 2027. Two further titles, DokeV and Plan 8, remain in development; DokeV is scheduled for the second half of 2028. The company says it is aiming for a release cycle of one game every two to three years.
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