Pearl Abyss Stock Drops Nearly 30% as Crimson Desert's Early Reviews Miss Expectations

Crimson Desert officially launches today, March 19, across Xbox Series X|S, PS5, PC, and Mac (Steam, Epic Games). However, the early reviews aren’t something the developer Pearl Abyss will cherish. As a result, the developer’s share price is taking a hit; it’s reportedly down by nearly 30%.

Crimson Desert’s early reviews hit the developer’s stock hard

Insider Gaming, citing a financial report from South Korea, reported that Pearl Abyss was trading at around 46,000 KRW, down 29.88% from the previous session. The share price reportedly went down after the release of early critic scores, which appear to have missed internal and investor expectations.

As of now, Crimson Desert is sitting at a Metacritic score of around 78, a score noticeably lower than the 90+ range that shareholders were reportedly anticipating. The noticeable difference between expected and actual scores seems to be driving the current market sentiment.

Looking at the reviews, the game appears to be fairly divisive. Early review scores are different across critics. Some even gave the game a perfect 10/10, while some scored the title as low as 4/10, which suggests an overall mixed reception. Some reports also indicate that investors have started selling off stock following what they view as disappointing early impressions.

All that said, this situation could still change in the coming days. Player feedback post-launch may change the narrative if reception improves. Speaking of players’ interest, let’s not forget that the title has reportedly already sold nearly 400,000 copies through Steam pre-orders alone. That said, it still appears that Crimson Desert is entering the market under pressure, with expectations proving difficult to meet.

If you are planning to try Crimson Desert on Xbox consoles and Xbox Ally handhelds, don’t forget to check the game’s system requirements.