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[Shin]

Today Black Desert developer Pearl Abyss provided with a press release an update on how the game has been doing worldwide, alongside interesting news.

First of all, we learn that all the versions of the game combined (PC, Xbox One, and mobile) have made $1 billion in gross sales, and can count on 18 million registered users in 150 countries.
CEO Robin Jung accompanied the press release with a statement, also revealing that Black Desert Mobile for iOS and Android is coming west by the end of the year.

“We’re proud of what this achievement represents – the hard work and dedication from our teams over the past four years and the support from a community of fans around the world. With over 30% of gross sales for Black Desert stemming from mobile platforms, which saw an initial release in Asia in the past year, we’re confident that sales are accelerating.
Pearl Abyss is optimistic for the future of Black Desert, and we look forward to launching Black Desert Mobile globally by the end of the year”

The Xbox One version of Black Desert launched at the beginning of March and already delivered four additional classes that have been available in the PC version for a while.

Credit: Twinfinite

Personal note:
This is rather interesting as you rarely get numbers from MMORG publishers anymore and $1B is a lot of fucking money.
The game is doing a lot better than I thought, pretty as hell but man the UI and complexity of the game drives me nuts.

 

[wipeout364]

what is this game like? I have seen it on steam and now xbox it looks like standard MMO fare is there more to it then that?

 

[spandexmonkey]

Man that would explain how they could afford to redo all the voice acting and overhaul the graphics. I still play it periodically. It's a strange beast of an MMO. I play it as a single player RPG/afk farming sim.

 

[Kenpachii]

Played it for 3000 hours.

The combat is like devil may cry. Lots of combing.

What made the game so great is that there is a lot of things to do and you can become the best in it. Unlike wow crafting the crafting in black desert online actually feels like crafting. You can basically never fight in your life in the game and push out huge markets and focus on that.

Game is really complex on this note but far more doable then something like eve online.

The sieges and content are also pretty darn nice. I had a lot of fun doing my trading routes and training my horses.

They also fixed a lot of issue's like loot in party's. Whenever loot drops it gets straight up uploaded towards the market and the one that wants that piece of gear that dropped can buy it for the absolute minimum price of the item and everybody else gets a share of that money.

I am also not that shocked to be honest about there income. I saw people blow up multiple 10k's euro's to get pen weapons. The game is extremely hard to refine and upgrade gear in and the damage boosts are real. People buy outfits and destroy them for free try's of enchants/refines.

So yea i could see this happening. Also the pet loot system probably makes them bank. There is a lot of ways to dump money into the game. However the game can be played without issue without any money as you can simple buy all shop bought products in the game also.

It's a good game and probably one of the better mmo's i played. However what killed my fun was the insane grind that needed to happen to level from 60 upwards and the money grind with it, also sieges where not doable because servers kept crashing. Also a bummer.

But still totally worth to give it a try.

 

[wipeout364]

Thanks very informative post. Doesn't sound like something I have the time for but sounds interesting. How is the lore?

 

[CyberPanda]

Nice.

 

[Hendrick's]

what is this game like? I have seen it on steam and now xbox it looks like standard MMO fare is there more to it then that?

It's pretty grindy with uninspired combat. Main focus is end-game PVP, which I can't speak to.

 

[Jigsaah]

Played it for 3000 hours.

The combat is like devil may cry. Lots of combing.

What made the game so great is that there is a lot of things to do and you can become the best in it. Unlike wow crafting the crafting in black desert online actually feels like crafting. You can basically never fight in your life in the game and push out huge markets and focus on that.

Game is really complex on this note but far more doable then something like eve online.

The sieges and content are also pretty darn nice. I had a lot of fun doing my trading routes and training my horses.

They also fixed a lot of issue's like loot in party's. Whenever loot drops it gets straight up uploaded towards the market and the one that wants that piece of gear that dropped can buy it for the absolute minimum price of the item and everybody else gets a share of that money.

I am also not that shocked to be honest about there income. I saw people blow up multiple 10k's euro's to get pen weapons. The game is extremely hard to refine and upgrade gear in and the damage boosts are real. People buy outfits and destroy them for free try's of enchants/refines.

So yea i could see this happening. Also the pet loot system probably makes them bank. There is a lot of ways to dump money into the game. However the game can be played without issue without any money as you can simple buy all shop bought products in the game also.

It's a good game and probably one of the better mmo's i played. However what killed my fun was the insane grind that needed to happen to level from 60 upwards and the money grind with it, also sieges where not doable because servers kept crashing. Also a bummer.

But still totally worth to give it a try.

I started playing it on PC, then I was gonna consider Xbox like a fresh start...but the way you describe it...it sounds like a game I should avoid if I value my wallet.

 

[Freeman76]

This game is fucking amazing, insanely good. I would go so far as putting it in my top 5 all time, I just love it. The gameworld is incredible, the complexity is perfect, it has loads to learn so keeps me engaged even hundreds of hours in. They deserve the success they have enjoyed with this game.

 

[Kenpachii]

I started playing it on PC, then I was gonna consider Xbox like a fresh start...but the way you describe it...it sounds like a game I should avoid if I value my wallet.

You don't have to spend anything really. you can buy pretty much anything that is needed through the auction house even paid content that other players sell towards you.

However if you craft i did found having 190 or something bag space to be interesting to get and some cheap pets to get better looting for grinding if you are to lazy to snipe them off the market.

I loved fishing in the game, i had a ship and fished all day long in the sea even nights as you can afk fish. Made huge bank with doing my trade routes ( sailing the massive sea / fishing / running with my horse full of fish through the desert all the way to valencia i think it was called to sell it. and leveling my elephant was massive fun + riding it.

The game is absolutely fantastic and probably one of the best worked out mmo's i ever played and totally worth its money.

However at some point i ended up with full tri gear which is basically a soft cap gear wise as getting higher then that the game becomes a massive grind. But with markets etc u can opt to scoup out of combat entirely.

I also really loved the desert in the game, it really felt like a desert something many games where not doing well.

I played it with a group of friends and frankly, one guy was doing nothing else then hunting with groups of people on animals to become rank 1 hunter, another one was doing nothing else then grinding his eye balls out grinding loot like people do traditionally in mmo's. I was doing at that point horse training and nothing else to get a level 9 i think horse and became the rank 1 fisher on sea, while a girlfriend of mine was crafting a big ship to sail the sea's with and basically gathering materials 24/7 while making her trade routes and workshops to produce materials for it. A bunch of my friends where hunting whales on the sea with canons and spears and killing ghost ships . Then i also had a weird guild mate that did nothing else then clean chimneys for whatever reason and was trying to cap maximum points into something by doing quests everywhere.

There is so much to do and the game can be played in a complete different way then the next guy towards you. It's not as everybody always does the same thing like world of warcraft basically. it's really a unique mmo on this front.

 

[Freeman76]

You don't have to spend anything really. you can buy pretty much anything that is needed through the auction house even paid content that other players sell towards you.

However if you craft i did found having 190 or something bag space to be interesting to get and some cheap pets to get better looting for grinding if you are to lazy to snipe them off the market.

I loved fishing in the game, i had a ship and fished all day long in the sea even nights as you can afk fish. Made huge bank with doing my trade routes ( sailing the massive sea / fishing / running with my horse full of fish through the desert all the way to valencia i think it was called to sell it. and leveling my elephant was massive fun + riding it.

The game is absolutely fantastic and probably one of the best worked out mmo's i ever played and totally worth its money.

However at some point i ended up with full tri gear which is basically a soft cap gear wise as getting higher then that the game becomes a massive grind. But with markets etc u can opt to scoup out of combat entirely.

I also really loved the desert in the game, it really felt like a desert something many games where not doing well.

I played it with a group of friends and frankly, one guy was doing nothing else then hunting with groups of people on animals to become rank 1 hunter, another one was doing nothing else then grinding his eye balls out grinding loot like people do traditionally in mmo's. I was doing at that point horse training and nothing else to get a level 9 i think horse and became the rank 1 fisher on sea, while a girlfriend of mine was crafting a big ship to sail the sea's with and basically gathering materials 24/7 while making her trade routes and workshops to produce materials for it. A bunch of my friends where hunting whales on the sea with canons and spears and killing ghost ships . Then i also had a weird guild mate that did nothing else then clean chimneys for whatever reason and was trying to cap maximum points into something by doing quests everywhere.

There is so much to do and the game can be played in a complete different way then the next guy towards you. It's not as everybody always does the same thing like world of warcraft basically. it's really a unique mmo on this front.

This is why i never understand people who say the end game is pvp focussed, it couldnt be further from the truth. Its however you want it to be focussed. You can truly play it in so many ways and each approach is like a game in itself. The trading and horse breeding can take over your entire playtime for weeks, without even equipping a weapon.

 

[Jigsaah]

You don't have to spend anything really. you can buy pretty much anything that is needed through the auction house even paid content that other players sell towards you.

However if you craft i did found having 190 or something bag space to be interesting to get and some cheap pets to get better looting for grinding if you are to lazy to snipe them off the market.

I loved fishing in the game, i had a ship and fished all day long in the sea even nights as you can afk fish. Made huge bank with doing my trade routes ( sailing the massive sea / fishing / running with my horse full of fish through the desert all the way to valencia i think it was called to sell it. and leveling my elephant was massive fun + riding it.

The game is absolutely fantastic and probably one of the best worked out mmo's i ever played and totally worth its money.

However at some point i ended up with full tri gear which is basically a soft cap gear wise as getting higher then that the game becomes a massive grind. But with markets etc u can opt to scoup out of combat entirely.

I also really loved the desert in the game, it really felt like a desert something many games where not doing well.

I played it with a group of friends and frankly, one guy was doing nothing else then hunting with groups of people on animals to become rank 1 hunter, another one was doing nothing else then grinding his eye balls out grinding loot like people do traditionally in mmo's. I was doing at that point horse training and nothing else to get a level 9 i think horse and became the rank 1 fisher on sea, while a girlfriend of mine was crafting a big ship to sail the sea's with and basically gathering materials 24/7 while making her trade routes and workshops to produce materials for it. A bunch of my friends where hunting whales on the sea with canons and spears and killing ghost ships . Then i also had a weird guild mate that did nothing else then clean chimneys for whatever reason and was trying to cap maximum points into something by doing quests everywhere.

There is so much to do and the game can be played in a complete different way then the next guy towards you. It's not as everybody always does the same thing like world of warcraft basically. it's really a unique mmo on this front.

Yea...bought it on Xbox...already 60 dollars deep. I needed pets...the Ghillie suit and inventory space. I'm hoooked though. I don't feel at a disadvantage like I would on PC. Especially since the version on Xbox is Vanilla. Got a bunch of friends who play as well. I'm running lvl 55 DK, no real good gear yet other than my Abyssal weapon. I've killed thousands of Helms trying to farm Asula's...Got my first taste of Kzarka. The game's good....maybe too good.

 

[Freeman76]

Yea...bought it on Xbox...already 60 dollars deep. I needed pets...the Ghillie suit and inventory space. I'm hoooked though. I don't feel at a disadvantage like I would on PC. Especially since the version on Xbox is Vanilla. Got a bunch of friends who play as well. I'm running lvl 55 DK, no real good gear yet other than my Abyssal weapon. I've killed thousands of Helms trying to farm Asula's...Got my first taste of Kzarka. The game's good....maybe too good.

So much more to come over the next 4 months as well

 

[Dragon Lord]

From the visual design, this game looks incredible, and I’ve been curious about it for years now. But it does sound like “more of the same” in terms of emphasis on combat and grinding and not on RP and community :/ Anyone have any input on this?

 

[spandexmonkey]

From the visual design, this game looks incredible, and I’ve been curious about it for years now. But it does sound like “more of the same” in terms of emphasis on combat and grinding and not on RP and community :/ Anyone have any input on this?

Really depends on what you're looking for. There's a full story (I've personally just skipped it) complete with cutscenes. You characters are part of a family (you set your family name at the beginning) and you decide what kind of life they live. There is support for exploration, finding NPC's and expanding your knowledge. You can also build up your social standing with individual npcs through the conversation mini game. Some people just focus on lore and quests while others are crafters/traders. Others are all about pvp or the grind to make leaderboards for their chosen profession. There's a lot of avenues to focus your attention on in the game beyond just combat/grinding.