The big turnaround of the ‘game of the year’: From failure to success in a few days

A cold shower on the day of going out

Crimson Desert arrived on the market on March 19, 2026 with huge expectations, but the initial impression was far from ideal. Although critics praised the visual splendor and ambition, the average score on Metacritic of 78/100 fell short of what investors had hoped for. The market reaction was brutal: shares of the company Pearl Abyss fell by almost 30 percent on the day of release.

The situation was even worse on Steam, the most important platform for PC games. The first reviews were overwhelmingly negative, with an overall positive rating of only 51 percent, which was labeled “Mixed”. Players have complained about a number of fundamental problems: from clumsy and unresponsive controls, to confusing mechanics and puzzles, to an incredible design flaw – the complete lack of an item storage system in the base. Many were also bothered by the presence of visuals generated by artificial intelligence, which disturbed the immersion in the otherwise beautiful world of Pywel.

Č a fortunate turn in just one weekend

While many moreć were writing off the game, Pearl Abyss was working behind the scenes. In just four days, the developers released a series of key updates that addressed almost all of the biggest complaints. That speed of reaction was crucial, and the changes were transformative.

Among the most important corrections were:

The results were immediate. As of last Tuesday morning, the percentage of positive reviews on Steam had jumped from 51 percent to 80 percent, earning the game a “Very Positive” rating, while at the time of this writing it was at 84 percent. For the sake of perspective, those 84 percent would be good otherwise, and given that the game started so badly, they are actually incredible.

A game that requires patience

In addition to technical corrections, the shift in perception also happened because players simply spent more time in the game. Many who initially left negative reviews gave up within the first two hours. However, those who have invested a dozen or more hours have found that Crimson Desert becomes a significantly better game once its complex systems are “opened up”. As one critic noted, the experience between the second and twentieth hours of gameplay is completely different.

Although the story was rated as the weakest element, the huge amount of content and variety of activities – from fishing and taming animals to combat systems inspired by classics like Devil May Cry – kept the game going. Soon, a strong community was formed that shared tips, hidden locations and secrets via the Internet, further enriching the experience.

Despiteč after a mixed start, the sales results confirmed the success. The game sold more than two million copies in the first 24 hours, and by the end of August, the number had exceeded three million. The story of Crimson Desert thus became a lesson on how even the most difficult beginnings can be turned around if developers listen to their audience and react in time.