Pearl Abyss 'Black Desert Mobile' China Launch D-10... Turning Point for Earnings Rebound

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Nahum] Pearl Abyss's highly anticipated title, "Black Desert Mobile," is on the verge of entering the Chinese market. Attention is focused on whether this will provide a turning point for Pearl Abyss, which has struggled with sluggish performance for several years.

According to Pearl Abyss on the 16th, the company will begin the open beta test (OBT) of its game "Black Desert Mobile" in China starting on the 26th. The Chinese service of Black Desert Mobile will be jointly managed by Tencent and iDreamSky. It will support both Android (AOS) and Apple (iOS) devices, and Chinese users will be able to play on over 40 platforms including QQ and WeChat.

This game is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) that reinterprets the PC original "Black Desert" for mobile. The global cumulative downloads have surpassed 36 million. It has been recognized for its high-quality graphics created with Pearl Abyss's proprietary game engine, maximized action and impact, and customization features, winning six awards at the 2018 Korea Game Awards.

Pearl Abyss is putting its life on the line for the successful entry of Black Desert Mobile into China. This is also the first overseas market entry under CEO Heo Jin-young's leadership, and above all, the company has recorded sluggish performance for three consecutive years due to the absence of new titles and declining live game revenues.

In particular, last year, sales (403.8 billion KRW) and operating profit (43 billion KRW) plunged by 17.4% and 72.6% respectively compared to the previous year, and there are forecasts that sales and operating profit for the first quarter of this year will also sharply decline by 8.6% and 64% year-on-year to 92.2 billion KRW and 4.7 billion KRW respectively.

The market outlook for the China entry is not that bad. Hwang Hyun-joon, a researcher at DB Financial Investment, said, "Black Desert Mobile is scheduled to be released in China, and as a result, a major turnaround in performance will begin this year," adding, "Pearl Abyss's sales and operating profit this year are expected to improve by 66% and 511% respectively compared to the previous year."

On the Chinese gaming specialist site '17173,' Black Desert Mobile was also selected as the "Most Anticipated Game of the Year" in the Gameplay Awards.

Pearl Abyss is focusing on marketing to ensure a successful foothold in the Chinese market. First, to commemorate the launch of Black Desert Mobile in China, it will hold a "Fantasy Adventure Night" event on the 26th. Many influencers, including China's famous esports player and broadcaster ‘PDD,’ BJ ‘Daesama (大司馬)’ with 10 million followers, and popular actor ‘Zhang Quandan (章全蛋),’ will participate to communicate with users and conduct various events.

Recently, Pearl Abyss selected Chinese popular actor and singer ‘Qi Wei’ as the official ambassador for Black Desert Mobile's Chinese service. Qi Wei is a star-level celebrity who starred in movies such as "Chongqing Hot Girl" and "Manhunt." Qi Wei will actively promote Black Desert Mobile across various fields as an ambassador.

Choi Seowon, the general director of Black Desert Mobile China, said, "We have worked closely with the publisher and devoted a lot of time and effort to localization for the Chinese service," adding, "Based on stable operations, we will provide a game service that satisfies users."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.