Crimson Desert arguably stands as one of the biggest new games of 2026, and new quarterly financial reports from developer Pearl Abyss help solidify that – it's so big, in fact, that the developers are potentially cooking up some DLC for it.
In a new earnings letter covering its quarterly financial performance, Pearl Abyss reveals that Crimson Desert has actually earned the company a record quarterly revenue, raking in around $180 million on its own.
Compared to Black Desert Online's own revenue this quarter of just around $40 million or so, that's quite a figure – and Pearl Abyss knows it. Throughout the letter, the studio comments on its open-world game's "successful launch."
After all, Crimson Desert only graced us with its presence at the tail end of March, but its simultaneous release on consoles and PC – and global presence, seeing as overseas sales have accounted for about 94% of the total quarterly revenue –certainly helped bolster it as a 2026 giant.
Considering all of this success, it comes as no surprise that Pearl Abyss also has DLC on its mind, as per the new earnings letter. The dev reveals, "Crimson Desert will continue to focus on enhancing user satisfaction and driving new sales through continuous updates, while expanding its market presence through platform expansion. In addition, we are currently exploring various ways to broaden the game to the next level, including DLC. We will share the details once the concrete plans are set."
That's pretty big news – especially when taking into account the current size of Crimson Desert. Heck, folks were averaging 20 hours a week in the open-world gem. I'd imagine plenty of players have racked up hundreds since March, and with DLC evidently underway, we could be looking at playtimes that rival RPG behemoths like Baldur's Gate 3, Skyrim, and The Witcher 3.
Plus, it's likely that Crimson Desert will continue to see even more success – Pearl Abyss notes a target of roughly eight to 10 million sales in 2026.
Here's hoping that the positive vibes keep on comin' and Pearl Abyss has some DLC news ready to share soon – it certainly seems like some kind of expansion(s) is set in stone for Crimson Desert, judging by the studio's words.
If you're curious about the game yourself but have yet to play, check out our Crimson Desert review for our own honest thoughts on it.
