Black Desert Online has sold more than 530,000 copies on Steam, has 7.65 million registered users

If you've paid any attention to Steam's most popular games listing, you might have noticed Black Desert Online has, surprisingly, occupied a top spot for months now. Despite launching all the way back in May, the MMO continues to be a huge hit. Right now, its developer, Pearl Abyss, is seeking a listing on the Korean Stock Exchange. As a result, they've released some interesting details in a recent press conference that charts just how successful the MMO really is.

According to Kyung In Jung, CEO of Pearl Abyss, Black Desert Online currently operates in 100 different countries across seven regions. Jung says that 7.65 million people have registered accounts to play the game (though keep in mind that doesn't indicate active users). As a result, Black Desrt has brought in a whopping ￦340 billion ($301 million USD) to date. That's impressive since, according to Jung, Black Desert Online only cost a paltry ￦1.2 billion ($1 million USD) to make.

Since launching on Steam, Jung reports that Black Desert Online has sold 530 thousand copies, which, while only a small percentage of other huge 2017 hits like PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, is impressive. That translates into just over $1.3 million in sales. Few Korean MMOs see that much success in the West in such a short time.

Taking that all into consideration, it's no surprise that Pearl Abyss is working on other MMOs. According to Jung, four other games are currently in development that "might have the keyword 'MMO.'"

"All of them are in progress to be network-based games with high-quality graphics by using the self-developed engine [the same engine used for Black Desert Online]," Jung adds.

Two of those games are expected to be launched in 2018, with another arriving 2019 and the fourth in 2021. It's not yet clear whether these will be on PC as Jung did spend a great deal of time talking about mobile and console platforms.

Still, that's all good news for Black Desert Online and MMO fans in general. Costing only $9.99, Black Desert Online is another MMO that's found success without the subscription fee. If you haven't played it yet, Austin recommends that you give it a try based on its strong similarities to singleplayer sandbox RPGs. It's a complex and intimidating game, however, so maybe read our guide to help you get started.

Thanks MassivelyOP.

With over 7 years of experience with in-depth feature reporting, Steven's mission is to chronicle the fascinating ways that games intersect our lives. Whether it's colossal in-game wars in an MMO, or long-haul truckers who turn to games to protect them from the loneliness of the open road, Steven tries to unearth PC gaming's greatest untold stories. His love of PC gaming started extremely early. Without money to spend, he spent an entire day watching the progress bar on a 25mb download of the Heroes of Might and Magic 2 demo that he then played for at least a hundred hours. It was a good demo.