Black Desert
GameBy Pearl Abyss
7 documents in the library are about Black Desert, from writers such as GameRefinery, Pearl Abyss and GameMakers. Each has a summary and key insights with the page they come from.
Connections
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Key figures from the reports
Crimson Desert achieved a balanced sales split between PC and console platforms, while the legacy Black Desert title maintained stable performance with KRW 61.6 billion in revenue.
Pearl Abyss, 2026 · 1Q26 Pearl Abyss Earnings Letter, p. 3
As of September 2020, the company's flagship title, Black Desert Online, had generated over $1.7 billion in lifetime revenue.
Game World Observer, 2021 · Pearl Abyss Investing $26 Million to Build Largest Art Center in South Korea
On Steam
Steam estimates as of 9 Oct 2026. Revenue is premium revenue on Steam only: game sales, without DLC.
- Revenue to date
- $31.0M
- Units sold
- 5.0M
- Last 12 months
- $922K
- 206K units
- Price
- $9.99
- Positive reviews
- 73%
- of 95K reviews
- Peak players
- 60K
- at the same time
- Followers
- 200K
- Average playtime
- 146 h
| Year | Share of the best year | Revenue | Units |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | $3.6M | 533K | |
| 2020 | $3.4M | 534K | |
| 2021 | $3.5M | 595K | |
| 2022 | $2.5M | 395K | |
| 2023 | $2.6M | 456K | |
| 2024 | $1.5M | 302K | |
| 2025 | $1.2M | 240K | |
| 2026 so far | $677K | 145K |
On Steam since May 24, 2017 · Developer Pearl AbyssSteam store page
Documents about Black Desert
1Q26 Pearl Abyss Earnings Letter
Pearl Abyss achieved a record-breaking first quarter of 2026, driven primarily by the launch of Crimson Desert.
- Pearl Abyss reported record 1Q26 financial results with KRW 328.5 billion in operating revenue, a 419.8% year-over-year increase, and KRW 212.1 billion in operating profit.
- The launch of Crimson Desert was the primary growth driver, generating KRW 266.5 billion—81% of total quarterly revenue—with 5 million copies sold within its first 26 days.
- Crimson Desert achieved a balanced sales split between PC and console platforms, while the legacy Black Desert title maintained stable performance with KRW 61.6 billion in revenue.
Where Winds Meet: Hexi Expansion on Live Streaming
The Hexi expansion for the action RPG Where Winds Meet, released in March 2026, serves as a critical case study on the efficacy of content updates in maintaining long-term audience engagement within the competitive live-service gaming market.
- The Hexi expansion for 'Where Winds Meet' drove an 8X increase in viewership, with hours watched surging from 86K to 699K and peak concurrent viewership rising 2,738% to 60.4K following the March 6, 2026, launch.
- Strategic influencer partnerships were the primary driver of engagement, with three distinct viewership peaks aligned with sponsored streams from creators like summit1g, Emiru, and MOONMOON.
- The expansion successfully positioned 'Where Winds Meet' on par with established competitors like 'Black Desert' and ahead of 'Wuthering Waves' and 'Final Fantasy XIV' in live-streaming rankings.
Pearl Abyss 4Q25 Earnings Presentation
The Pearl Abyss 4Q25 earnings presentation outlines the company’s financial performance for the final quarter of 2025 and provides a strategic outlook for 2026.
- Pearl Abyss reported an operating loss of 8.4 billion KRW and a net loss of 14.4 billion KRW in 4Q25, marking a shift away from previous quarterly profitability.
- Operating revenue for 4Q25 fell to 95.5 billion KRW, representing a 10.6% decline compared to the third quarter.
- Operating expenses increased to 103.9 billion KRW, an 8% rise driven by a 3% growth in headcount to 1,363 employees and higher labor costs.
WeMade's Night Crows Cracks Top 10 Revenue
The fantasy MMORPG Night Crows, developed by WeMade, achieved a significant milestone by entering the top 10 in worldwide revenue as of late May 2023.
- WeMade’s fantasy MMORPG 'Night Crows' reached the top 10 in worldwide revenue despite being available exclusively in the South Korean market.
- The game demonstrates exceptionally high monetization efficiency, with revenue per download (RPD) figures exceeding $166 on iPad and $50 on iPhone.
- While download volume for 'Night Crows' has slowed, its revenue continues to surge, indicating a strong average revenue per user (ARPU).
Analyst Bulletin: Mobile Game Market Review April 2022
The global mobile gaming market in April 2022 was defined by a strategic shift toward hybrid mechanics and high-frequency live operations to sustain player engagement and revenue.
- Hybrid 4X strategy games, including Puzzles & Survival, Top War: Battle Game, and The Ants, saw significant growth in the US top-grossing rankings, validating the trend of game hybridization as a viable revenue strategy.
- Mobile developers are increasingly integrating minigame modes into their core loops, a trend now expanding into the slots genre and major titles like Genshin Impact and Roblox.
- Clash Royale introduced 'Card Masteries' as a new progression vector, while RAID: Shadow Legends re-introduced a Battle Pass system—now titled 'Forge Pass'—after a two-year hiatus.
Pearl Abyss Investing $26 Million to Build Largest Art Center in South Korea
Pearl Abyss has undertaken significant infrastructure investments to bolster its development capabilities within the South Korean gaming market.
- Pearl Abyss is selling CCP Games, the developer of EVE Online, back to its management for $120 million in a deal expected to close by May 6, 2026.
- The sale of CCP Games represents a significant loss for Pearl Abyss, which originally acquired the studio in 2018 for a reported $425 million.
- In 2021, Pearl Abyss invested $26 million (30 billion won) to construct a five-story art center in Anyang City, South Korea, featuring a 1,000-square-meter motion capture studio.
Our Analysts' Picks for Best Mobile Games of 2019
The mobile gaming landscape in 2019 was defined by the widespread adoption of battle pass monetization, the integration of midcore features into casual titles, and the successful migration of major console intellectual properties to mobile platforms.
- The 'Battle Pass' model emerged as a dominant industry trend in 2019, with Clash of Clans successfully implementing 'Season Challenges' to drive significant engagement and revenue growth.
- Call of Duty: Mobile was the standout new release of 2019, achieving record-breaking launch performance with over 100 million downloads in its first week.
- Black Desert Mobile successfully bridged the gap for Western audiences by adapting the MMORPG genre with streamlined UI and combat mechanics, maintaining a top 200 grossing rank since its December 2019 launch.
Companies behind it
As the documents state it.