Crimson Desert success signals new era for Korean console gaming

Once centered on smartphone and online games, Korea’s gaming industry is finding growth through console titles and overseas releases.

As publishers continue to find success in Western markets, including North America and Europe — where they have traditionally struggled — more companies are also looking to get in the game.

Pearl Abyss’s Crimson Desert, released on March 20, is at the forefront of the success story for Korean game companies.

Sales of the game surpassed 5 million copies on April 15, becoming the fastest-selling Korean console game. The figure translates to roughly 190,000 copies sold per day. The game also remains high on the sales charts of Steam, a global game distribution platform.

According to Pearl Abyss’s first-quarter earnings report released on May 12, Crimson Desert generated 266.5 billion won ($177.7 million) in revenue within 11 days of its release. Eighty percent of the revenue came from the Americas and Europe.

The game has emerged as another global success story for Korean console games. Nexon’s Dave the Diver is another, selling 8 million copies since its 2023 release. Neowiz’s Lies of P, also released in 2023, has sold 4 million copies.

Korean publishers have also found success with console games developed by overseas studios they acquired.

Nexon’s shooter game Arc Raiders, released in October last year, has recorded cumulative sales of 16 million copies as of press time. The game is developed by Sweden-based Embark Studios, fully acquired by Nexon in 2021.  

Krafton’s newest title, Subnautica 2, released in early access on Friday and sold 2 million copies within 12 hours of launch. San Francisco-based Unknown Worlds, acquired by Krafton in 2021, is the developer behind the game.  

What changed?

The success of Crimson Desert reflects a structural shift in Korean gaming, which traditionally focuses on mobile and massively multiplayer online role-playing games, or MMORPGs.

Crimson Desert was designed as an open-world game that allows players to explore vast regions, built on Pearl Abyss’s experience developing Black Desert, an MMORPG. The company adapted expertise accumulated through MMORPG development into an open-world format.

Crimson Desert's expansive content even offset criticism that the game’s storyline was weak.

“Korean developers are more accustomed to making online MMORPGs, and Crimson Desert shows how companies can apply that skill into single-player role-playing games," said a game industry representative.

Another factor behind the game’s success is the incorporation of rapid feedback systems, common in online and mobile games.

Crimson Desert received harsh reviews for having difficult controls soon after its release. But Pearl Abyss responded by rolling out 18 patches, or game updates, through April 15, to respond to complaints by players.

The pace is unusually fast compared to Western studios that typically update games every six months to a year.

Acquisitions also help publishers get game development skills they didn't have, such as Nexon's acquisition of Embark Studios and Krafton's acquisition of Unknown Worlds.

Focusing on consoles

The shift toward consoles also highlights a change in the entertainment landscape. Nowadays, games are far from the only source of fun as people become occupied with social media, short-form videos and video streaming services.

In a 2025 survey of 10,000 people between the ages of 10 and 69 conducted by the Korea Creative Content Agency (Kocca), 50.2 percent of respondents said they play video games. The figure fell from 74.4 percent in 2022. 

As interest in games started to decline, Chinese-made games began flooding the Korean market. Backed by lower labor costs, Chinese game companies aggressively expanded through large-scale releases.

However, the gamers that remain have high standards and are willing to pay for the games they want. They are also not hesitant to purchase triple-A games, or high-quality but high-budget games developed by major studios, which sell for more than 50,000 won.

Gamers are also willing to purchase high-performance PCs and gaming consoles. Kocca's survey shows that 28.6 percent of the respondents played console games in 2025, up from 17.9 percent in 2022.  

The trend is being driven by consumers in their 30s to 50s who grew up playing games and now have stronger purchasing power.

“Korean gamers have started to view games as not just entertainment but as a serious leisure activity like fishing or Go,” said Lee Jang-joo, head of the Research Institute for Digital Culture & Happiness. “Since they are spending large amounts of money on gaming hardware, they are also demanding higher-quality games.”

Console games are also relatively free from domestic regulation against game addiction. Under the Game Industry Promotion Act, only games provided through information and communications networks are subject to addiction-related regulations.

“Current regulations restrict playtime and frequency only for online games, while console games that can be played without an internet connection are excluded,” said Jeong Ho-seon, a partner attorney at Yoon & Yang law firm.

What comes next?

Publishers, including NC and Smilegate, are also eyeing the console market.

Smilegate began developing a new console game titled Orpheus in April.

NC has traditionally focused on MMORPGs, including the Lineage series. However, it launched Project JSY, a project that aims to develop a console action game based on its game Blade & Soul.

Nexon Games has also started developing Woochi the Wayfarer, inspired by the Korean classic tale of Jeon Woo-chi, famous for using magical powers to punish corrupt nobles.

“The console development capabilities of Korean game companies are growing,” said Kim Jung-tae, a professor at Dongyang University's School of Game. “There are still limitations in the range of genres they can produce, but broader diversification will help open up more opportunities.”

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.

BY OH HYEON-WOO [[email protected]]