Crimson Desert: $200M Revenue & Player Overlap with Dragon’s Dogma 2 Revealed

Crimson Desert, the open-world action-adventure game developed by Pearl Abyss, has surpassed four million units sold, generating over $200 million in revenue, according to a recent analysis by Alinea Analytics.

The game, initially anticipated to rival titles like The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and Red Dead Redemption 2, received mixed reviews upon its release, leading to a decline in the value of Pearl Abyss’s stock. Despite this, Crimson Desert quickly gained traction with players, achieving significant sales milestones and prompting rapid updates from the developers. The game currently holds a “Mixed” rating on Steam.

Alinea Analytics’ Rhys Elliott detailed in a Substack post that approximately $75 million of the total revenue came from PlayStation 5 sales. While Pearl Abyss does not receive the full revenue amount due to shares taken by platform holders like Sony, Microsoft, and Valve, the financial performance is considered strong for a modern intellectual property.

Elliott’s analysis also revealed a notable overlap between Crimson Desert players on PS5 and those who played Capcom’s Dragon’s Dogma 2, with 38% of Crimson Desert PS5 players also having played Dragon’s Dogma 2. This crossover is larger than that observed with other recent releases, such as Assassin’s Creed Shadows and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, potentially due to similarities in gameplay and genre.

The success of Crimson Desert comes after the game faced criticism, including concerns about its language and world-building. Despite this, the game has develop into a significant success this spring, alongside other top-performing titles like Resident Evil Requiem.