Yesterday, the curtains opened, and the embargo on Crimson Desert reviews was lifted. For years now, the game had been an intriguing prospect, melding historical fantasy and steampunk futurism into a sprawling, open-world RPG, so anticipation was high.
With a wealth of MMO experience under its belt and having seven years to cook up Crimson Desert, Pearl Abyss would have been hoping for groundbreaking review scores. Unfortunately for them, that's not what it got, with the game settling at a 78 on Metacritic and an 80 on OpenCritic.
These middling scores, which are less than this year's Big Hops, Ride 6, and Starship Troopers: Ultimate Bug War, have sent ripples through the South Korean stock market where Pearl Abyss is headquartered, and the company's share price has dipped by almost a third overnight.
First noted by finance site Chosun Biz, Pearl Abyss' share price plummeted in the wake of Crimson Desert's reviews.
At the close of trading yesterday, the company's share price was 65,500 KRW ($43.60). However, with the reviews dropping overnight, the morning's markets reacted poorly, with Pearl Abyss shares opening at 47,800 KRW ($31.84). This price has continued to tumble throughout the day, and as of 3:30...
