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Crimson Desert Debuts to Big Player Numbers as Reception Splits Critics and Fans

Pearl Abyss faces a steep share-price drop after launch-day scores landed in the high 70s despite a 239,000-player peak on Steam.

Overview

  • Pearl Abyss launched Crimson Desert on March 19 for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S at $69.99/£54.99.
  • The game holds roughly a 78 on Metacritic, with reviewers praising visuals and combat but faulting the story, UI, controls, and feature bloat.
  • Steam user reviews are Mixed, with players citing clunky inputs, confusing systems, and visual inconsistencies, though some praise emergent moments.
  • Concurrent players on Steam peaked at about 239,045, and the game hit top seller positions at launch.
  • Pearl Abyss shares fell around 27–30% after reviews went live, and the studio has begun issuing updates to fix storage, UI, and quality‑of‑life issues.