South Korean prime minister praises Crimson Desert's success, says game 'opens new chapter for K-content'

South Korea's prime minister has acknowledged Crimson Desert's success, saying the game is having a profound effect on the country's cultural representation in the interactive entertainment space.

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Crimson Desert's wild success has reached the highest point of South Korea's government, prompting Prime Minister Kim Min-seok to make public comments praising the best-selling console game.

"I sincerely congratulate the success of 'Crimson Desert,' which has elevated the status of the South Korean gaming industry on the global stage," the South Korean prime minister said at a recent press event, as per Inven Global.

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With Crimson Desert, Pearl Abyss has created a new entry point into Korean culture, the prime minister says:

"The living game world, crafted entirely with their own technology from start to finish, combined with active communication, has captured the hearts of players worldwide. By naturally weaving in Korean elements such as Taekwondo and Korean cuisine, they have opened a new chapter for K-content."

Pearl Abyss's stock rose 2.5% following the prime minister's comments.

The game has now sold over 5 million copies in less than a month, making it one of the best- and fastest-selling games of 2026. Pearl Abyss will continue updating the open-world fantasy game with new changes and tweaks to keep things feeling fresh and exciting for both new and old players alike, shaping the experience using fan feedback. This approach has worked out well, and Crimson Desert has retained its sales standings and regularly has over 100K players on Steam.

To put Crimson Desert's numbers into perspective, we've included the sales trends of multiple recent popular games:

Recent fastest-seller game sales trends

• Crimson Desert - 5 million sales in 28 days
• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 - 3.3 million sales in 33 days
• Hollow Knight Silksong - 7 million sales in 90 days
• Resident Evil 9 - 6 million sales in 17 days
• Slay the Spire 2 - 3 million sales in 7 days
• Pokopia - 2.2 million sales in 4 days

Pearl Abyss just recently released its latest game update that adds a bunch of new options, including difficulty sliders to vastly change gameplay experiences, as well as new quicker crafting options and even new summonable mounts and pets.

The studio has said that it will not pursue expansion or DLC content for Crimson Desert, instead focusing on releasing smaller-scale quality-of-life updates. The majority of Pearl Abyss's team is now developing other titles, including the creature-collecting game DokeV and exosuit MMO Plan 8.