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Pearl Abyss promises no microtransactions for Crimson Desert launch

Kagi News | 2026-02-16 11:45 UTC | source

🎮 Pearl Abyss says its upcoming open-world action RPG, Crimson Desert, will launch without microtransactions or a cosmetic cash shop. The studio is pitching it as a straightforward premium release, where the upfront purchase is the main transaction 3247.

Crimson Desert is currently slated for March 2026 2. Pearl Abyss also drew a line between any launch-day in-game store and pre-order editions: it says pre-order bonuses are separate from microtransactions at launch 4.

Screenshot from Crimson Desert showing the game's open-world environment
Screenshot from Crimson Desert showing the game's open-world environment — kotaku.com

Sources

  1. Crimson Desert Will Be Pearl Abyss’ First Game Without Microtransactions [gameranx.com] (2026-02-16)
  2. "This is made to be a premium experience" Crimson Desert has no microtransactions despite its Black Desert Online pedigree, says Pearl Abyss [eurogamer.net] (2026-02-16)
  3. Massive Open-World Adventure Crimson Desert Promises No Microtransaction Cash Grab At Launch [kotaku.com] (2026-02-16)
  4. "That is the transaction": Crimson Desert won't have microtransactions, says Pearl Abyss, because the promising open-world game is "a premium experience" [gamesradar.com] (2026-02-16)
  5. Pearl Abyss Confirms Crimson Desert Won’t Have Microtransactions [reddit.com] (2026-02-16)
  6. Crimson Desert Devs Say Premium Price Avoids Microtransactions [reddit.com] (2026-02-16)
  7. Crimson Desert Will Not Have Microtransactions, Dev Pearl Abyss Says [80.lv] (2026-02-17)
  8. Crimson Desert Devs Say Premium Price Avoids Microtransactions - Insider Gaming [google.com] (2026-02-16)

Highlights

  1. Scope of the pledge: Pearl Abyss is talking specifically about the launch build—no microtransactions or cash shop at release. It doesn’t clearly say whether that will stay true after launch 24
  2. What “premium” means here: The studio says the upfront purchase is the core transaction, and it explicitly rules out a cosmetic cash shop at launch 472
  3. Upfront monetization still exists: Pre-order editions come with perks and bonuses for early buyers, even if the launch version won’t include an in-game store 4
  4. March 2026 release: After a long development cycle, the game is targeting March 2026, putting it among the notable open-world releases slated for the year 2
Promotional artwork for Pearl Abyss's Crimson Desert
Promotional artwork for Pearl Abyss's Crimson Desert — 80.lv

Perspectives

Pearl Abyss: The studio says the upfront purchase is the key transaction, and it stresses that “no microtransactions” applies to the launch version—while leaving its longer-term plans unclear.

Kotaku: The outlet framed the announcement as Pearl Abyss promising to avoid a “microtransaction cash grab” in its massive open-world adventure.

Gaming community on Reddit: The news sparked a long thread across multiple gaming subreddits, with many people pointing to how different this sounds from Pearl Abyss’s usual monetization approach.