Crimson Desert Dev Responds to Reports It Turned Down Sony PS5 Exclusivity Deal That Would Have Blocked Xbox Release for a Year
The developer of upcoming open-world action fantasy game Crimson Desert has responded to reports indicating it had turned down an offer of PlayStation 5 exclusivity from Sony.
Alleged details coming out of South Korean developer Pearl Abyss’ investor relations session dated September 26, reported on by a South Korean financial blogger who subsequently translated their article into English, deleted that translation, then published a retraction, included discussions with Sony about the potential for an exclusive publishing partnership, similar to that seen with Shift Up’s Stellar Blade.
Pearl Abyss reportedly said that if it had accepted Sony’s offer, which allegedly included Sony's “marketing power and various unique incentives,” Crimson Desert would have been exclusive to PS5 for a year, with no release on Xbox and with PC distribution rights also belonging to Sony.
However, Pearl Abyss reportedly turned the offer down after running the numbers on expected sales and the revenue share structure it would have had in place with Sony, instead opting to self-publish. Pearl Abyss allegedly determined that it would be better off taking a bigger piece of the revenue pie by self-publishing Crimson Desert, than it would be had it partnered with Sony to share revenue with the PlayStation maker.
Pearl Abyss is best known for the long-running multi-platform MMORPG Black Desert Online, which it already self-publishes across PC and console. The single-player Crimson Desert is set for release at some point in 2025 simultaneously on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X and S.
In a statement issued to Eurogamer, Pearl Abyss responded to the reports in vague terms, acknowledging discussions with publishing partners had taken place but failing to address this alleged Sony exclusivity deal offer directly.
"In our last quarter earnings call, which is publicly available, we revealed that we would publish Crimson Desert independently,” Pearl Abyss said. “We of course honor and appreciate our business
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