Crimson Desert did so well that developer Pearl Abyss reported 94% increased labor expenses due to “performance bonus payments” made to 1,035 employees

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Open-world behemoth Crimson Desert has been one of the year’s big successes, earning developer Pearl Abyss an estimated $200 million in just two weeks and itself a Very Positive Steam rating based on more than 100,000 reviews at the time of writing. Considerable criticism has been levied against its apparently barebones story and since-removed AI-generated assets, but all in all, it’s hard to look at Crimson Desert as anything other than a huge win for Pearl Abyss, and that success has seemingly trickled down considerably to the studio’s employees.

According to Pearl Abyss’s new Q2 2026 financial report, the company’s labor expenses shot up 94% quarter on quarter following the release of Crimson Desert due to “performance bonus payments” paid out to 1,035 employees, which was the “total headcount” at the end of the company’s second quarter. “While short-term personnel brought in during the first quarter for the launch of Crimson Desert declined, total headcount increased by 1.1% QoQ due to an influx of interns as well as additional hiring in service and marketing functions,” the report clarifies.