[Weekend Game] Game Companies on Edge Over YouTuber Reviews: "Major Impact on Success"

Crimson Desert Surpasses 5 Million Copies Sold

Game YouTubers Drive Its Popularity

New Releases Closely Watched for YouTuber Reviews

NCsoft Files Lawsuit Against Game YouTubers for Spreading False Information

Pearl Abyss's new open-world action-adventure game, Crimson Desert, has surpassed 5 million units sold globally, driven by positive reviews from YouTubers. This achievement is bringing renewed attention to the influence of game YouTubers on new releases.

Key art of Pearlabyss's new open-world game, Crimson Desert. Provided by Pearlabyss.

The Crimson Desert development team announced on its official social networking service (SNS) on April 15 that global sales of Crimson Desert had exceeded 5 million units. Having launched on March 20, the game reached this milestone in just 26 days. This marks the fastest sales pace in the history of Korean console games. On its release day, Crimson Desert sold 2 million copies, followed by 3 million in just four days, and surpassed 4 million on the twelfth day. The development team expressed their gratitude by stating, "We sincerely thank all the Graymane supporters who cheered for the game."

Game YouTubers played a significant role in Crimson Desert’s popularity. By highlighting various features available in Crimson Desert, YouTubers captured the interest of a wide audience. One standout example is the game’s hand-to-hand combat and wrestling techniques. Players can battle in-game soldiers using moves inspired by famous professional wrestler Randy Orton, such as the RKO and clothesline. International gaming YouTubers also responded positively to the implementation of pro wrestling moves in Crimson Desert.

Game YouTubers also spotlighted Crimson Desert’s graphics. Content comparing the graphics of the well-known open-world title Red Dead Redemption 2 with Crimson Desert has been spreading. Mike York, former Senior Animator at Rockstar Games, commented on his YouTube channel that "the water simulation in Crimson Desert surpasses that of Red Dead Redemption 2." At the same time, players have shown keen interest in Pearl Abyss’s proprietary game engine, Blackspace.

Stock Price Plunges Early Due to Initial Criticism

However, Crimson Desert also faced harsh criticism from game YouTubers shortly after its release. The biggest complaint was about the controls—players found it difficult to pick up items or struggled with complex gameplay mechanics, making progress challenging. These criticisms were reflected in review scores. On the day before launch, Metacritic, a global game rating aggregation site, gave Crimson Desert a score of 78, which was below expectations. As a result, Pearl Abyss’s stock price hit its lower limit the day before release.

While new game releases being affected by YouTuber reactions is not new, the influence has grown significantly as YouTube’s user base continues to expand. Some YouTubers have been increasing their view counts by strongly criticizing aspects such as game management and monetization structures, leading the gaming industry to be wary of the spread of negative sentiment driven by game YouTubers.

On April 7, NCsoft filed a criminal complaint against the operator of the YouTube channel "Youngraegui," accusing them of spreading false information and obstructing business. "Youngraegui" had claimed on YouTube that Lineage Classic was ignoring users of illegal programs, but NCsoft maintained that these claims were false. NCsoft had previously filed a similar complaint against the operator of the "Gamechanghyun" YouTube channel for spreading false information and related charges.

An industry official stated, "As game content becomes more popular on YouTube, the commercial success of a game increasingly depends on user response. However, it is also true that malicious reviews are popular among some users. Unfortunately, it can take considerable time to recover public opinion afterward."

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