“Crimson Desert (Red Desert)” launched by Pearl Abyss this year performed very well and became one of the major successes in 2026 after its release. According to Pearl Abyss’ latest second quarter financial report for 2026, the company’s labor expenses increased by 94% compared with the previous quarter. The main reason was the payment of “performance bonuses” to employees. A total of 1,035 employees received bonuses this time.
The better the sales, the better the employees receive the good news first!
The report shows that these 1,035 people are Pearl Abyss’s total number of employees as of the second quarter. The company also stated that the temporary increase in manpower for the launch of “Crimson Desert” in the first quarter has been reduced, but the actual total number of employees still increased by 1.1% compared with the previous quarter, mainly from interns, and recruitment of service and marketing departments. To put it simply, if the game sells well, the boss will be happy, and the employees will also receive bonuses. Players may be happier after reading this “share it together after success” script than when the game is updated.
Pearl Abyss is already thinking about the next one
“Crimson Desert” has brought in about $200 million in revenue so far, and has accumulated more than 100,000 reviews on Steam and still maintains “very positive reviews.” Although the game’s plot and some AI-generated materials have attracted criticism, the overall commercial performance is undoubtedly quite successful. Pearl Abyss has even made it clear that “Crimson Desert” will not be just a one-time work, and is considering sequels, multiplayer expansion content, and more DLC in the future. It seems that this desert is not only dry, but is now ready to continue digging.