Shares of the developers of Crimson Desert plummeted by 30% due to insufficiently high game ratings

On the morning of March 19, the stock price of the South Korean company Pearl Abyss plummeted. As of the time of writing, each share is priced at 46,000 won (30.7 dollars) on the exchange—this is 29.88% less than the previous evening.

Crimson Desert

The likely reason for the plunge was the release of reviews for the upcoming action-adventure game Crimson Desert. In their reviews, critics have given favorable comments about the game, but without any great enthusiasm. Specifically, many praised Crimson Desert for its well-developed open world, which is interesting to explore. However, they pointed out a bland storyline, an excess of game mechanics, and awkward controls as drawbacks. Consequently, Crimson Desert's average rating on Metacritic settled at 78 out of 100.

As reported by the media, Pearl Abyss investors were expecting higher ratings—in the range of 80 to 90 points.

How Pearl Abyss' stock value changed in a day

It's possible that the situation with the stocks will improve after the game's release. Previously, Pearl Abyss announced that Crimson Desert amassed 3 million wishlists, and analysts from Alinea Analytics estimated current preorder revenue on Steam at 20.3 million dollars.

Crimson Desert will be released tonight on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series.