Pearl Abyss announced today during its latest earnings call that its upcoming action-adventure game Crimson Desert has been delayed to Q1 2026. The game had already been delayed once before, after initially being planned for 2021 before getting bumped to the latter half of this year. During the investors call, Pearl Abyss also took the time to explain why a second delay has taken place, noting that “longer-than-expected timelines” left them with little choice.
“Currently, Crimson Desert has been in the process of voiceovers, while also carrying out tasks such as console certification in preparation for its release,” the developer explained, noting that it still plans to feature an open-world build of the game at Gamescom and PAX West this month. It went on to say that the delay is “due to longer-than-expected timelines arising from schedule coordination and collaborations with multiple partners for offline distribution, voiceovers, console certification, and other launch preparations … Please kindly understand that this is a strategic decision aimed at ensuring success on a meaningful scale.”
Pearl Abyss didn’t have any more specific details on a release date than Q1 2026, but said that a release date reveal shouldn’t be expected at Gamescom. It plans to announce a release date at a “more appropriate time based on business considerations.”
Crimson Desert was initially announced back in 2020, conceived as a prequel to Pearl Abyss’ MMO Black Desert Online, but over the course of its development it was decided it would be a single-player game instead. If you’re curious about what Crimson Desert looks like in action, GameSpot attended a hands-off preview earlier this year, coming away particularly impressed with its in-game physics.
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