Following a long development time, Crimson Desert launched earlier this year on PC , PlayStation 5 , and Xbox Series X|S , becoming a smashing success despite its by-the-books open-world formula that incorporates elements from other open-world games like Red Dead Redemption 2 and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild . The free updates released since March are only part of Pearl Abyss' expansion plans, which include the first DLC coming later this year, a Nintendo Switch 2 port, and possibly more.
"Crimson Desert is preparing key initiatives, including DLC, strategic pricing, and platform expansion, to ensure long-term success," Pearl Abyss wrote in its 2Q26 Earnings Letter . "The DLC is currently under development scheduled for release this year while we refine its content direction and overall quality. Specific details regarding pricing, content composition, and launch timing will be officially announced in 3Q26."
With the release schedule being incredibly packed in September and October , it will be very interesting to see how Pearl Abyss fits the first Crimson Desert DLC into it. Although there isn't a lot of overlap with the games launching in the next couple of months, the game's combat system is very akin to a character-action combat system with intricate combos, so those looking forward to games like CONTROL Resonant and Phantom Blade Zero may end up having to make choices, especially if Pearl Abyss goes all in as it did with the base game, and releases an expansion packed with content.
"For platform expansion, the core focus is ensuring that Crimson Desert’s signature graphics, action, and open-world experience are fully preserved, rather than executing a simple port," Pearl Abyss wrote in its report. "In the case of Switch 2, the game has reached a playable baseline, and we are currently conducting technical reviews regarding performance optimization and quality standard compliance, targeting a release in the first half of next year."
As the system is not as capable as the PlayStation 5 and Xbox consoles, the Nintendo Switch 2 port of Crimson Desert could very well become another "impossible port" for the current generation Nintendo system. Unlike games powered by Unreal Engine 5 , like The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered , the game by Pearl Abyss is powered by the proprietary Blackspace Engine , which was built specifically for the game. As of now, it has allowed the developers to quickly add new content to the game, indeed putting it on a different level than every other game powered by the Epic engine , but it remains to be seen how much it can be optimized to run on the Nintendo Switch 2 without severely gutting the experience.
"Crimson Desert is not a one-off title, but a core flagship IP of our company designed for long-term growth and expansion," Pearl Abyss continued in today's report. "Accordingly, while we remain open to various possibilities—including add-on content, platform expansion, and sequel titles—our immediate development priority is centered on Crimson Desert DLCs and our next pipelines."
Among these possibilities is a multiplayer expansion, which was previously mentioned . However, implementing it will be a significant challenge as it represents a "major technical initiative that requires comprehensive evaluation of server architecture, game balance, cross-platform stability, and live service operation models." At this time, the Korean developer is "conducting extensive research from both technical and gameplay perspectives," so Pearl Abyss is clearly not fazed by the challenges ahead.
Regardless of how Pearl Abyss plans to expand Crimson Desert , everything the Korean studio revealed in its latest report paints a great picture for the game. While I would love to see additional combat-focused content and expansions, as I have found the combat system to be one of the best features of the experience, I am still looking forward to whatever Pearl Abyss has been cooking. Hopefully, a proper reveal isn't too far away.
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