Pearl Abyss Exploring Potential Sale of CCP Games, but No Official Decision Yet

Image: EVE Online

Pearl Abyss, the South Korean developer best known for Black Desert Online, is reportedly thinking about selling CCP Games—the Icelandic studio behind EVE Online. This chatter started after a report from Korean outlet MTN, which claimed that Pearl Abyss had reached out to several companies to see if they’d be interested in buying CCP.

Interestingly, this rumor comes from the same publication that previously said Crimson Desert—another Pearl Abyss title—was aiming for a November 2 release. That particular report was never officially confirmed or denied, which added to the speculation.

Just a day after the rumor started making the rounds, Pearl Abyss responded with a brief statement to Insider Gaming, saying:

“While we regularly review various strategies to enhance our global competitiveness, no decisions have been made, and we have nothing to announce at this time.”

It’s not a solid confirmation, but it’s also not a hard denial—so naturally, the rumor mill kept spinning.

Pearl Abyss acquired CCP Games back in September 2018 for around $425 million. Since then, CCP has stayed focused on expanding the EVE universe. They’ve rolled out and supported several titles like EVE: Frontier and EVE Galaxy Conquest. However, despite their efforts, CCP’s results over the years have been a bit of a mixed bag.

As highlighted in a report by Wccftech, the studio has canceled at least four games over the years, including some ambitious ones like the World of Darkness MMO, Project Nova, and Dust 514. CCP also dipped into virtual reality with EVE: Valkyrie and Gunjack, but eventually backed out when the VR scene didn’t quite take off.

Most recently, CCP launched EVE: Frontier in a ‘Founder Access’ phase. It’s a survival-style spin-off, though it hasn’t gotten much promotional love so far. They’re also working on EVE: Vanguard, another attempt to blend shooter mechanics into the EVE world—a direction they’ve tried before, with limited success. These ongoing uncertainties could be one of the reasons Pearl Abyss is rethinking CCP’s long-term value.

So far, CCP Games hasn’t made any public comments on the situation, but the story has definitely sparked some buzz among fans and analysts alike. Some speculate that Pearl Abyss is trying to tighten its focus, especially with bigger projects like Crimson Desert and the colorful, family-friendly DokeV on the horizon.

Right now, nothing is official. But with such a vague response from Pearl Abyss, there’s still plenty of room for this story to develop.