BLACK DESERT CELEBRATES 55 MILLION PLAYER MILESTONE ON EIGHT-YEAR PC ANNIVERSARY

Pearl Abyss Also Hosts Five-Year Console and Four-Year Cross-Platform Anniversary Events Through Late March, Bringing New Class ‘Scholar’ to Consoles Next Week

Manhattan Beach, CA — February 28, 2024 — Korean developer and publisher Pearl Abyss revealed a new major milestone on Black Desert Online’s eight-year PC anniversary today, amassing more than 55 million registered online players across all platforms and generating 3 trillion Korean won (US$ 2.2 billion in revenue) since its Korean launch in 2014.

Pearl Abyss will spend March celebrating two other big anniversaries this week. To kick off Black Desert Console’s fifth-year birthday and four years of Xbox and PlayStation cross-platform support, Pearl Abyss will bring ‘Scholar’ to both consoles Wednesday, March 6.

Following 2023’s year of awards, a critically acclaimed expansion, and electric community events – the 2023 Dari Award for Business of the Year, Land of the Morning Light expansion, and six+ community events worldwide – Pearl Abyss is poised to embrace 2024 with more culturally-authentic content, community celebrations, and huge incentives to play Black Desert.

“Our dedicated focus in 2024 is to make Black Desert more streamlined, accessible, and engaging for every level of player,” said Jaehee Kim, the Executive Producer of Black Desert. “This eight-year anniversary signals our progress towards that goal, and we’ll continue to achieve even more. Happy birthday, Adventurers!”

• Watch Black Desert’s “Eight Things You Need to Know” anniversary YouTube video here
• Download the Anniversary Key Art, Videos, and two Infographics here

A MONTH OF COMMUNITY CELEBRATIONS, ACTIVITIES AND STEEP SALES

This month, Pearl Abyss will host a series of reward-filled events – ranging from easy log-in rewards to collective community efforts to artistic contests, and more – on PC, PlayStation, and Xbox to celebrate its thriving community.

PC Adventurers can frolic in eight major events, from the easy Log-in Rewards Extravaganza to the community-based Seals of Sincerity Team Rewards to the artistic skill Emote Contest and more. Check this GM Note for all eight events and contests.

The PC community team will hold a combination “Anniversary” and “War of the Roses” livestream on Sunday, March 3, covering topics such as Best Art and Screenshot of the Year, Hide and Seek Races, an In-Game Concert, Partner Streamers, Quizzes, and more. Watch it on YouTube or Twitch.

Console players will immediately enjoy a bevy of events, contests, and sales to jump into, from the 400% Hot Time Event, Special Title Event, the “Timeless Value After All These Years” Event, the Special (2,200 Cron Stones) Login Rewards, and the Daily Loyalty Shop offers. Check the Black Desert Console page for more details.

All events are paired with generous sales discounts to appeal to new and returning players. Black Desert Online will go on sale for 90% off the retail price ($9.99) for 99 cents on the BDO website from Wednesday, February 28 through Saturday, March 30, and on Steam from Thursday, February 29 through Sunday, March 31. All DLC Packs, Traveler, Conqueror, and Explorer, will sell for 50% off their retail prices.

2023 PLAYER INFOGRAPHICS

The year 2023 revealed new player behaviors, trends, and surprises that differed from 2022, captured in this year’s infographic.

The top five most popular classes last year, from 1-5 (based on the classes players created the most), were 1) Maegu, 2) Drakania, 3) Woosa, 4) Guardian, and 5) Dark Knight. Relative newcomer Maegu (introduced at the end of 2022), pushed last year’s top classes, 2022’s Dark Knight, to the number five spot, and Sorceress off the top five list.

The most defeated Black Shrine Boss at Calamity level 7 (From last year’s Land of the Morning Light expansion) was Sangoon (8,786 times), while the most deadly Black Shrine boss was Songakshi (25.7 Kill/Death ratio – for every one time Songakshi dies, she kills 25.7 players). The Average Number of Quests Completed Daily​ in 2023 totalled 1,302,868, and the Total Number of Central Market Transactions hit a whopping 174,230,982​.

For the full list of new stats, and for a full-length, eight-year biography graphic of Black Desert, find both assets here.​

IMPROVED ‘SCHOLAR’ CLASS ARRIVES NEXT WEEK

The female class Scholar, the 27th class available in Black Desert Console, is an alchemist and a master manipulator of gravity. Using her two hammer types, Hammers and Gravity Cores, Scholar attacks with swiftness and immense power. Her command of gravity enables to trick enemies with unpredictable movements and overwhelming counter force. 

Xbox and PlayStation players will benefit from a slew of upgrades in response to PC player feedback. Scholar’s mobility skills on inclined terrain, such as Gravity Anchor-Attraction, Gravity’s Grip, and One Giant Leap, have been fixed. The team increased her overall speed of combat by adjusting the animation of key attacking skills and expanding her combo options, and improved her baseline mobility by increasing the speed on mobility skills. Lastly, the dev team improved her most powerful CC skill, Flow: Golden Thunder, to increase its attack area size based on falling height. Adventurers who utilize terrain tactically will be able to bring down the thunder upon their opponents!

Scholar arrives on consoles Wednesday, March 6!

COMMUNITY FIESTA THIS SATURDAY
This coming Saturday, March 2, Pearl Abyss has invited select Los Angeles, Ca.-based Black Desert fans to attend this year’s second big Adventurers’ Oasis Community Event – an anniversary fiesta celebrating eight years of Black Desert Online. There will be a meet-and-greet with the Black Desert team, cosplay contest, exclusive merch, food, drinks, fun activities, and a live music performance.

NEW EIGHT-YEAR ANNIVERSARY MERCH ITEMS TO PRE-PURCHASE

The Black Desert team updated its “Pearl Abyss Gear” shop by packing it with new apparel, accessories, and collectibles. Gear up with the highly vaunted Black Spirit Plush, Papu/Crio Hooded Blankets, Embroidered Hoodies, and, to celebrate our birthday, special eight-year anniversary goods at the shop.

Pearl Abyss continues to push the boundaries of MMORPG experiences and fosters its global gaming communities. For more information about these exciting updates for PC and Mobile, please check the official Black Desert Online and/or Black Desert Console websites. To stay up to date with the latest happenings in Black Desert, follow the game on Facebook, X and YouTube. All Black Desert Online eight-year anniversary assets can be found here.

ABOUT BLACK DESERT IP

The Black Desert IP is Pearl Abyss‘ open-world action MMORPG franchise with cutting-edge visuals and skill-based combat that redefines the genre. With the most developed character customization system of any game currently on the market, players can break out of the norm and make unique characters that truly represent themselves. Its intuitive controls, beautifully designed world, and extensive lore will excite both newcomers and veterans of MMO games and action RPGs. Pearl Abyss is currently servicing the Black Desert IP, which has gained 55 million players across the world on PC, mobile, and console.   

ABOUT PEARL ABYSS

Established in 2010, Pearl Abyss is a leading developer in the game industry with its renowned MMORPG franchise Black Desert, which is available on PC, mobile, and console. All of Pearl Abyss’ games are built on the company’s proprietary engine and are renowned for cutting-edge graphics. Pearl Abyss is currently developing Crimson Desert, DokeV, and PLAN 8 using its next-generation game engine and is poised to grow its overseas market. More information about Pearl Abyss is available at: www.pearlabyss.com.