Creature collectathon DokeV delayed into 2024
Update: Pearl Abyss say release window is not decided
Remember Gamescom last year, and the peppy trailer for open-world creature collecting RPG DokeV? Well, the game’s slipped out of its 2023 release window and into the distant reaches of 2024, devs Pearl Abyss have revealed. DokeV.Club report that Pearl Abyss CEO Heo Jin-young acknowledged that the game would overshoot 2023 during the company’s earnings conference call last week. Pearl Abyss also delayed their upcoming action adventure Crimson Desert.
We haven’t heard much about DokeV since it was shown at Gamescom last year. Back in May, Jin-young confirmed that DokeV would become a “metaverse platform” after speculation that the game could feature a Play To Earn system. Now, unsubstantiated rumours have emerged on Twitter that DokeV’s core developers have left Pearl Abyss. Take that with a massive pinch of salt, though Pearl Abyss did mention in their earnings call that their core development team is concentrating on Crimson Desert for now.
I've reached out to Pearl Abyss for clarification on the game's delay and the status of its development team.
Ed thought DokeV was the best game shown at Gamescom 2021, although we only got to see a few minutes of it in action. “While DokeV does seem a lot like Pokémon on the surface,” he said, “the whole dodge-rolling away from monsters, then crunching them with a hammer couldn't be more Monster Hunter-meets-CBeebies.” That does sound like a good laugh.
DokeV is pencilled in for release sometime in 2024. I’ll keep you updated as and when I hear more. If you're interested in the ins and out of Pearl Abyss’ finances then you can take a look at their Q3 2022 earnings report here.
Update (16/11/2022): A Pearl Abyss spokesperson has clarified that DokeV's core team are still with the company, and that the game's release window has yet to be decided.
"Core developers of DokeV, including Lead Producer Sangyoung Kim and Lead Game Designer Changki Nam, are still working on the same project. DokeV’s release window is not decided. We aim to communicate details at a later stage."