Pearl Abyss rejected Sony’s offer of limited time exclusivity for Crimson Desert and decided to self-publish the game.
Pearl Abyss rejected Sony’s offer of timed exclusivity and decided to release Crimson Desert without platform restrictions. Sony predicted that this game could achieve success similar to Ghost of Tsushima and requested that the game be released only on PlayStation for a certain period of time with an exclusivity offer. However, South Korean game studio Pearl Abyss did not accept this offer and preferred the strategy of making the game reach a wider audience.
PlayStation Crimson Desert Exclusivity
Sony has increased its interest in exclusivity agreements, especially for South Korea-based game developers. PlayStation, which had previously made a similar agreement with Shift Up for Stellar Blade, wanted to follow a similar path for Crimson Desert. However, Pearl Abyss turned down this offer, believing that self-publishing the game would give them more flexibility, profit, and global reach. This decision was made in the Kiwoom Corp. decision held on September 26, 2024. It was officially announced at the event.
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Sony’s exclusivity request for Crimson Desert is due to the company seeing the game’s potential as high. PlayStation was aiming to create a hit like Ghost of Tsushima by gaining exclusivity of the game. This move is considered as a reflection of Sony’s interest in AAA level games coming out of South Korea. The Korean government’s prioritization of supporting more high-budget games following the success of Stellar Blade has whetted Sony’s appetite for potential projects in this region.
South Korea has become one of the countries that has made great strides in the gaming industry in recent years. The government’s investments and supports in the gaming industry aim to increase the number of AAA games. This independent move by Pearl Abyss can be considered an indication that Korean developers can stand on their own feet in the global game market.