According to several Korean news outlets, the publishing contract between Kakao Games and developer Pearl Abyss for Black Desert Online has expired, with the official final day to be on 24 February 2021. However, it is unknown at this point of time if all user data will be transferred over to Pearl Abyss, which most likely will happen. Pearl Abyss has built up publishing know-hows through regions such as Russia, Korea, and Japan, and aims to provide an even better service for the North America and Europe region.