Pearl Abyss Corp's stock price fell by nearly 30 percent following the release of reviews for its action RPG Crimson Desert. The game holds Metacritic and OpenCritic scores of 78 and 80, respectively, below market expectations of the mid-to-high 80s. This drop came after significant pre-release hype that had driven the stock to record highs.
Pearl Abyss Corp's shares dropped sharply on March 19, 2026, shortly after reviews for Crimson Desert went live. According to reports, the stock fell by roughly 29.88 percent from 65,600 KRW to 46,000 KRW, with one source noting a 27.44 percent decline at the time of writing. This followed a period of intense hype for the single-player RPG spin-off from the Black Desert MMO, which surpassed 3 million wishlists on Steam ahead of its March 19 release date. The game had 'gone gold' on January 22, 2026, contributing to a 52.94 percent stock rise from December 30, 2025, to January 30, 2026, reaching an all-time high of 68,500 KRW on March 16—a 125 percent increase from March 16, 2025. Reviews praised the game's scope, ambition, and combat, but criticized its story, characters, unresponsive controls, and interface. Crimson Desert sits at 78 on Metacritic and 80 on OpenCritic. Eurogamer's three-star review stated: 'Make no mistake, Crimson Desert is a technically proficient game with killer combat (pesky lock-on aside). Yet its characters and story are fatally undercooked. And for all Pywel's spectacular visual construction which impresses in its gigantic scale and gleaming prettiness, it lacks a certain distinctiveness.' It compared the game unfavorably to The Witcher series, noting a lack of grit and texture. Despite the drop, the stock remains higher than a year prior, with sales figures pending as the game nears availability on Steam.
