Pearl Abyss betalar ut 2,5 miljoner dollar i bonusar när Crimson Desert passerar 5 miljoner sålda enheter

Crimson Desert developer Pearl Abyss has reportedly paid every employee a 5 million won bonus, around $3,400, to mark the game crossing 5 million copies sold. The figure was reported by the South Korean publication MTN.

Pearl Abyss lists 733 employees according to MTN's reading of official figures, which puts the total payout at roughly 3.7 billion won, or about $2.5 million. A second bonus is scheduled for early 2027, tied to Pearl Abyss's 2026 financial performance.

CEO Heo Jin-young addressed the bonus in an internal statement quoted by MTN.

"I express my deep respect and gratitude for the hard work of each and every one of you who created a product that the world is enthusiastic about, and I am paying a celebratory bonus for achieving 5 million sales to all employees who have silently fulfilled their roles in their respective positions."

— Heo Jin-young

"Our journey does not end here. The potential we confirmed today will be the most powerful driving force to overcome any challenge we face in the future."

— Heo Jin-young

Crimson Desert has sold faster than any recent South Korean console-focused single-player release, ahead of Shift Up's PS5 exclusive Stellar Blade and Neowiz's soulslike Lies of P. South Korean developers built their reputation on mobile and online PC titles, and the shift toward console-first single-player work is the trend Pearl Abyss has now pushed furthest.

Last week, South Korean Prime Minister Kim Min-seok publicly praised the studio. He pointed to the fact that Crimson Desert was built in-house on Pearl Abyss's own technology rather than a Western engine, and noted the inclusion of Korean elements such as taekwondo and Korean cuisine. The cooking system is functionally important during boss fights, and many recipes resemble Korean hot pot dishes.

I think the cooking integration is the most underappreciated detail in the prime minister's remarks. It works as both a stat-buff system and a cultural showcase, and most players will engage with it whether or not they care about the latter.

Kim Min-seok said the game had opened a new chapter in K-content.

" serves as a crucial turning point, demonstrating that the domestic game industry can expand and leap forward across diverse platforms, including consoles."

— Kim Min-seok

The bonus arrives during active development. Crimson Desert recently received its biggest patch to date, which added difficulty settings, storage improvements, and new pets, including birds. I see the staff payout as the cleanest signal Pearl Abyss could send about its outlook, and the scheduled 2027 bonus commits the company to keeping that compensation structure rather than treating the 5 million milestone as a one-off.

Read also, Spanish gaming portal Legion Looterana ranked Crimson Desert as its top game of 2026 in a list shared on X. The portal cited the open world and combat system as the reasons for the placement and identified Crimson Desert as a likely contender at this year's Game Awards. Other titles featured included Resident Evil Requiem, Slay the Spire 2, Pokémon Pokoria, Pragmata, and Reanimal.