Featured Image Credit: Pearl Abyss
Pearl Abyss’s upcoming action-adventure, Crimson Desert, is the latest MMORPG that gamers are keeping their eyes on.
It looks like this game has everything you could ever want in it. Rideable dragons, weird tech-controlled ruins, great flying contraptions, bustling cities to explore, an open-world claimed to be twice as large as Skyrim’s, with a map larger than Red Dead Redemption 2’s… Anything you can imagine, Pearl Abyss has probably included it!
But it’s missing one key feature that’s become all too common in gaming, thankfully.
Here’s what it means for you.
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While Black Desert Online, Pearl Abyss’ previous game, has quite famously aggressive microtransactions, a new interview with Dropped Frames (via Okami) Crimson Desert PR director Will Power has confirmed Crimson Desert will have no microtransactions at launch.
You can watch the full clip below:
Crimson Desert will not have a microtransaction shop, confirms Pearl Abyss.
— KAMI (@Okami13_) February 15, 2026
"This is made to be a premium experience that you buy and you enjoy the world and not something for microtransactions."
(via @DroppedFrames) pic.twitter.com/HAlWngYYpC
He continues: “This is made to be a premium experience that you buy, and you enjoy the world, and not something for microtransactions… This is a premium experience, that is the transaction, full stop.”
Over on X/Twitter, a fan asked Powers for clarification
Hey @WillJPowers
— A G A 𝕏 B (@AGAXB_) February 16, 2026
Did I hear incorrectly or hear a paraphrase?
Crimson Desert will have absolutely zero microtransactions? No store?
Even for cosmetics?
Meaning ALL items can be found through gameplay alone? pic.twitter.com/n1MxMlczsw
Powers responded, “That’s not what I said. There are preorder bonuses. I said, at launch no mtx (microtransactions)”
“The overall point is that we’re not holding back content to sell separately.”
Personally, I’m perfectly fine with pre-order bonuses as a way to incentivise buying the game, as long as they’re purely cosmetic. While DLC may be in the works, this confirms that Crimson Desert will launch as a complete experience.
The only thing that’s catching me out a bit is ‘at launch no mtx’. Fans have asked for clarification on this comment - it could spell trouble later down the line. But we have to hope Pearl Abyss see the positive reception to the no microtransactions new and stay true to this philosophy.
Later in the interview, Powers somewhat defends microtransactions in gaming. Honestly, I do find myself agreeing with him. It’s not the fault of developers that microtransactions have become the norm in gaming. He says: “It’s a monetization model. If you do free-to-play, then you need to make up the revenue in a different way.”
Microtransactions are a great way for suits to make money, often coming at the expense of gamer’s wallets. So you might think that Crimson Desert would cost a fortune to make up for lost profits?
Nope! Coming in at £54.99 for the base edition, and £64.99 for the deluxe edition that includes some armour, Crimson Desert has all the ingredients to become an instant classic.
Alternatively, if you want to bag yourself Crimson Desert for the low, low price of £0… We’ve got you covered.
Crimson Desert is set to release 19 March, 2026 on PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and Series S. Will you be playing?
