Pearl Abyss has suffered a 29% plunge in share value as the review scores for Crimson Desert emerge online. Earlier reports indicated that shareholders anticipated drastically high scores, as high as 90 out of 100 from aggregators, but the reality is a little further down the scale.
In a financial report, it was revealed that, on the South Korean stock market, Pearl Abyss was trading at 46,600 won, down 28.9% from the previous session, before review scores had been posted.
Crimson Desert Might Be All Style and No Substance
At the time of writing, Crimson Desert was staring down a Metacritic rating of 78, which is a far cry from the 90 expected by internal teams and shareholders. The scale for Crimson Desert is more diverse than most games, with everything from 10/10 to 4/10 scores having been handed down by critics.
It’s rare to see a game emerge with such a divisive nature, and that’s having a knock-on impact on Pearl Abyss’ share value:
In our review, we awarded Crimson Desert a 7/10, and our critic, Charlie Champion, wrote:
Crimson Desert is a game of extremes. At its best, it offers a breathtaking world filled with meaningful exploration, impressive scale, and genuinely thrilling battles. However, that brilliance is occasionally weighed down by an overabundance of unfocused systems, a weak narrative, and combat that struggles to maintain consistency.
In a report from the Seoul Economic Daily, it was noted that investors were ‘dumping stock’ following ‘disappointing reviews.’ Thanks to Shinobi on social media for that spot.
Crimson Desert officially launches today, March 19, but some prospective fans are now sceptical about the game’s power to deliver. It has spent weeks under intense scrutiny, with some stating that the title looks ‘too good to be true’, and now that reviews are emerging, that might be the case.
Are you still excited to get your hands on Crimson Desert? Let us know what you’re saying on the Insider Gaming Discord server.
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Grant has been gaming for 30+ years and in the industry for 10+. You'll probably find him playing a post-apocalyptic game or an extraction shooter somewhere.
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