"That is the transaction": Crimson Desert won't have microtransactions, says Pearl Abyss, because the promising open-world game is "a premium experience"

We're inching closer and closer to the release of Crimson Desert, the ambitious new fantasy action-RPG from Pearl Abyss, and the devs have confirmed there won't be any in-game marketplace using real money at launch. The game's price-tag is the only fee players will need to make in order to enjoy the world of Pywel.

Will Powers, the PR and marketing director at Pearl Abyss, made this confirmation during an episode of Dropped Frames. "This is made to be a premium experience that you buy and enjoy the world, and not something for microtransactions," he tells the podcast hosts.

He then clarifies the not-significant price is the trade-off here. "It's a monetization model: if you do free-to-play, then you need to make up the revenue in a different way," he adds. "This is a premium experience. That is the transaction. Like, full stop."

Later, on Twitter, he pointed out there are pre-order bonuses, but "no microtransactions at launch." The Khaled Shield comes as an added perk for pre-ordering, while the Deluxe and Collector's Edition get you several other exclusive cosmetics.

Some concern stemmed from Black Desert Online, the precursor to Crimson Desert, a free MMORPG from Pearl Abyss that makes use of microtransactions, albeit not heavily. Even though Crimson Desert's become its own experience despite starting as a spin-off from BDO, there were worries this release might still lean on an in-game marketplace for added monetary gain.

That's not the case, though I do think the "at launch" from Powers is worth keeping in mind. First revealed at The Game Awards in 2020, it's been a long road for Crimson Desert, and we'll all get to check out what Pearl Abyss has conjured on March 19.

With a map twice the size of Skyrim and larger than Red Dead Redemption 2, promising open-world game Crimson Desert is real big – but still "incredibly interactive"