Crimson Desert's review scores are perfectly fine. They're pretty good, in fact. But the new open-world RPG isn't the best game ever made, as some people hoped it would be, prompting developer Pearl Abyss' share price to sink almost 30%.
Crimson Desert was previously best known as the game that looked almost too good to be true in all of its maximalist trailers. Glimpses at its dragon riding, jetpacks, grapples, a huge fantasy world, quick cuts of too many weapon types to keep track of, and some absolutely massive boss battles made it one of Steam's most-wishlisted games.
But the reviews that dropped yesterday, on March 18, made Pearl Abyss's RPG sound more like a very good, fun time rather than a genre-shaking GOTY contender, a cardinal sin for shareholders. On the aggregate review site Metacritic, Crimson Desert's average critic score ist a respectable 78.
GamesRadar+'s Crimson Desert review called it a slightly messy experience that worked better as an entertaining sandbox than a well-tuned story with "elements of genius and wonder [that] make the experience worthwhile."
Seoul Economic Daily reports that Pearl Abyss share price fell 29% to 46,000 won, down 19,000 right around the time that Crimson Desert's critic reviews started dropping. The stock market is a fickle thing, and should Crimson Desert be a success anyway, you bet those numbers will just shoot right back up. But, for now, Pearl Abyss is getting a slap on the wrist because being good is apparently not quite good enough.
Crimson Desert launches in full later today (March 19) on PC, Xbox Series X|S, and PS5.
