Pearl Abyss CEO Huh Jin-young officially confirmed during a three-and-a-half-hour shareholder briefing last week that Crimson Desert is in development for the Nintendo Switch 2. While the developer has been cautious about platform expansions, the company revealed that the game is already in a state where “basic gameplay is possible” on the hardware.

Despite this progress, the studio is tempering expectations regarding a timeline. CEO Huh emphasized that bringing the open-world title to the Switch 2 is not simply a technical exercise. The team is focused on ensuring that the game’s action, visual fidelity, and open-world structure hold up to internal standards before any official release window is provided.

Addressing Launch Performance and Future Content

The announcement followed a candid opening from CEO Huh, who issued an apology to shareholders regarding the company's communication and the state of Crimson Desert at launch. The CEO acknowledged that the early-game experience, balance, and accessibility were areas that should have been better prepared. To address these concerns, Pearl Abyss is currently issuing weekly patches based on community feedback, a commitment the CEO noted is sustainable without impacting the development of future content.

Commercial performance has remained a focal point for the studio. Following its March 19, 2026 release, the game reached 2 million sales on day one and hit 6 million units in 83 days. COO Lee Dong-won described this as a path “no other Korean game company has taken before.” Despite these figures, the company is moving forward with a comprehensive overhaul of the game's story, which will include new cinematics and additional content. Paid DLC is also in active development, with pricing and release timing expected to be finalized by the end of Q3 2026.

Multiplayer and Mod Support

The possibility of multiplayer remains a significant point of interest for the community, given the game’s roots as a project originally intended for online play. While no concrete plans exist, the CEO stated that Pearl Abyss is actively studying the technical feasibility of multiplayer, acknowledging that the game's structure has “long-term expansion potential.”

Mod support is also under review. Pearl Abyss is monitoring the community and exploring options for official mod distribution within the game. The studio appears to be looking toward the long-term longevity seen in titles like Skyrim as a potential model for how modding could extend the life of Crimson Desert.

The Wider Development Pipeline

Looking beyond its current flagship title, Pearl Abyss outlined the status of its other major projects:

  • DokeV: Currently in the content production phase, with a targeted launch in the second half of 2028. Demonstrations for global players are planned once the play loop is finalized.
  • Plan 8: A shooter still in the concept phase. Development will ramp up once key personnel from the DokeV team transition to the project.

While the studio is exploring a release in China, the CEO noted that the process is complex due to local regulations, licensing, and localization requirements, and offered no timeline for a potential launch in that region. For now, the studio's primary focus remains on refining the Crimson Desert experience and building out the foundation for its upcoming hardware and content roadmap.