South Korea’s Crimson Desert launches globally, targeting Western success with its vast open world, but faces mixed reviews and a sharp stock drop for its developer

PARIS: South Korea’s gaming industry is aiming for a major global breakthrough with the worldwide release of the medieval fantasy epic ‘Crimson Desert’.

The title from developer Pearl Abyss has garnered significant pre-release interest, with over three million people adding it to online wishlists.

This level of anticipation is rare for a new intellectual property not tied to an existing franchise.

The game casts players as the supernaturally-powered warrior Kliff in a vast, faction-riven open world.

Players can explore one of the largest game worlds ever created, engaging in swordplay, archery, and even riding dragons or piloting military robots.

Pearl Abyss spent seven years developing the title, which is available on PC, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5.

Initial critical reception has been mixed, with the PC version holding a score of 78 out of 100 on aggregate site Metacritic.

Reviewers praised the game’s expansive universe and realistic graphics but criticised its complex controls and occasionally repetitive content.

Following the release, shares in Pearl Abyss fell by 30% on the Seoul stock exchange.

The studio’s European marketing chief, Rick van Beem, previously framed the game as part of a broader Korean cultural push.

“We are trying to appeal to a global audience,” van Beem told AFP at the Gamescom trade fair.

He linked ‘Crimson Desert’ to successful Korean exports like the Netflix series ‘Squid Game’ and K-pop.

Van Beem noted that Korean hits are traditionally “very PC and mobile centred,” citing games like ‘PUBG’ and ‘Lost Ark’.

He compared ‘Crimson Desert’ more to Nintendo’s ‘Legend of Zelda’ series than to stat-heavy role-playing games.

Around 170 people worked on the project, which aims to captivate Western console audiences.

 The Sun Malaysia