Crimson Desert won’t have a microtransaction shop because it’s a ‘premium experience’

Crimson Desert is slowly shaping up to be one of the biggest games of 2026. Made by developers of the Black Desert MMORPG, this action-adventure takes place in a stunning fantasy world, with a strong focus on combat, exploration, and narrative. A fully-fledged title and not a free-to-play live-service game, Crimson Desert won't feature a microtransaction store, at least not a cosmetics shop. This was confirmed by Pearl Abyss marketing director Will Powers, who highlighted that as a "premium experience," Crimson Desert's monetization model hinges on the price you pay for the game itself.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MR9QMXJuGx4 As he bluntly puts it, the game alone is the only transaction, providing players with a vast open world and enough value that microtransactions of any kind aren't really necessary. "This is made to be a premium experience that you buy, and you enjoy the world, and not something for microtransactions. [[i]Crimson Desert[/i]] is a premium experience [and] that is the transaction. Full stop," Powers noted in a recent podcast. In fact, Powers is so proud of the world Pearl Abyss has created that he thinks it's the game's biggest selling point, saying he never played a "truer" open-world title. Whatever the case, Crimson Desert does look promising. It might not be a traditional open-world RPG that we've been seeing around every corner, and that may be for the best. A big environment to walk around and have fun in is more than enough, so long as the studio makes it interesting. And if Powers' words are anything to go by, it seems they've nailed it. The post Crimson Desert won’t have a microtransaction shop because it’s a ‘premium experience’ appeared first on Destructoid.

Feb 20, 2026 - 03:30

Crimson Desert won’t have a microtransaction shop because it’s a ‘premium experience’

Crimson Desert is slowly shaping up to be one of the biggest games of 2026. Made by developers of the Black Desert MMORPG, this action-adventure takes place in a stunning fantasy world, with a strong focus on combat, exploration, and narrative.

A fully-fledged title and not a free-to-play live-service game, Crimson Desert won't feature a microtransaction store, at least not a cosmetics shop. This was confirmed by Pearl Abyss marketing director Will Powers, who highlighted that as a "premium experience," Crimson Desert's monetization model hinges on the price you pay for the game itself.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MR9QMXJuGx4 As he bluntly puts it, the game alone is the only transaction, providing players with a vast open world and enough value that microtransactions of any kind aren't really necessary.

"This is made to be a premium experience that you buy, and you enjoy the world, and not something for microtransactions. [[i]Crimson Desert[/i]] is a premium experience [and] that is the transaction. Full stop," Powers noted in a recent podcast.

In fact, Powers is so proud of the world Pearl Abyss has created that he thinks it's the game's biggest selling point, saying he never played a "truer" open-world title.

Whatever the case, Crimson Desert does look promising. It might not be a traditional open-world RPG that we've been seeing around every corner, and that may be for the best. A big environment to walk around and have fun in is more than enough, so long as the studio makes it interesting.

And if Powers' words are anything to go by, it seems they've nailed it.

The post Crimson Desert won’t have a microtransaction shop because it’s a ‘premium experience’ appeared first on Destructoid.

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