Steam has made the popular MMO Black Desert Online free to keep for a limited time only. In some parts of the world, Black Desert Online is already a free-to-play game, however English-language versions of the game are all usually buy-to-play.
Black Desert Online was first released in 2014, and developer Pearl Abyss has done a great job at keeping the community alive. Too often MMOs come to the table with big dreams, but never make it beyond a few years, and Black Desert Online is one of the few that has managed to not only survive, but thrive. Despite middling reviews upon release, Pearl Abyss has continued to support the game, with Black Desert Online still boasting hundreds of thousands of active players daily. Black Desert Online's PS4 and Xbox One release in 2019 has also helped expand the game to a new audience, with backward compatibility on the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S ensuring players will still be able to play well into the current generation, too.
The free-to-keep drop came with no official announcement, instead simply dropping to $0 on Steam until March 9. The game usually retails at $9.99, and unlike many MMOs, doesn't require a monthly subscription to play. As part of the promotion, Black Desert Online's DLC packs can also be found with a massive 70% off, so it's the perfect opportunity for players to immersive themselves in Pearl Abyss' huge MMO. Black Desert Online has been available for free in the past through Prime Gaming, although this offer expired quite some time ago now.
Although the game remains active, this move should see a big influx of new players to Black Desert Online. Without paying for the game, players may be more enticed to spend money in Black Desert Online's Pearl Shop, which gives players the chance to remove some of the grind from the game. A lot of MMOs have a similar feature, however not paying an entry or subscription fee might make it easier for players to swallow here.
It's hard to know the long-term future of Black Desert Online, even if it seems active at the moment. The development of Crimson Desert has taken much of the development resources at Pearl Abyss, though news about the title has been limited for a long time. But even if Crimson Desert is a huge success for the company, it's still difficult to imagine Pearl Abyss dropping support for Black Desert Online as long as it retains a solid player base. Only time will tell, with Crimson Desert currently rumored for a late-2023 release.
Black Desert Online is available on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
Source: Steam
