Pearl Abyss delays creature collecting game DokeV

Creature collecting game DokeV from South Korean developer Pearl Abyss has been delayed.

The news was announced as part of the Pearl Abyss Q3 earnings presentation.

Both DokeV and the company's much-anticipated MMO Crimson Desert have been delayed, the latter into the second half of 2023 and the former past its original target of 2023.

Rumours had spread that DokeV had lost a significant number of its core developers, perhaps resulting in the delay, as reported by MassivelyOverpowered and DokeVClub.

However, the loss of developers was confirmed on a conference call alongside the report as the completion of its intern programme.

It seems that Crimson Desert is also the priority.

"DokeV along with Crimson Desert is being developed meeting our internal development roadmap," said CEO Heo Jin-young.

"However since this year our core development team is immersing itself on developing Crimson Desert, we will do our best so that for DokeV we will be able to disclose additional information as they are done."

"Core developers of DokeV, including lead producer Sangyoung Kim and lead game designer Changki Nam, are still working on the same project," communications director Kwangho Kyung told Eurogamer. "DokeV's release window is not decided. We aim to communicate details at a later stage."

Delays of both games have reportedly resulted in a drop in company shares.

DokeV was announced at Gamescom 2021 and looks set to be a Pokémon rival with a distinct Korean flair.