Update, Nov 16 10:51 GMT: Pearl Abyss has reached out to TheGamer to clarify that DokeV's release window "is not decided", so could yet launch in 2023, 2024, or at a later date. Details will be revealed once a decision has been made.
DokeV, a Pokemon-inspired, open world game coming from Korean studio Pearl Abyss, has pretty much fallen off the video game radar in 2022. An update from the studio has resulted in it popping back up for the first time in months, but it's not good news. DokeV's launch has been pushed back beyond 2023, meaning it is now well over a year away at the very least.
The long overdue update regarding the status of DokeV comes courtesy of GamesRadar. As highlighted by the site, not only has Pearl Abyss been radio silent regarding how its ambitious game is coming along, but DokeV's official Twitter account hasn't posted anything since January. The studio's earnings report (thanks, Eurogamer) explained the delay is due to a loss of core developers.
Those losses haven't just affected DokeV, but also Crimson Desert. First announced in 2019, the wait for Pearl Abyss's other upcoming project will also continue. Gameplay for Crimson Desert was first shown off during 2020's Game Awards. It seems the second anniversary of that night will come and go without the game launching. Originally slated as a Black Desert prequel, Pearl Abyss has since clarified Crimson Desert will be a single-player game set in the same universe.
As for DokeV, any studio attempting to recreate the magic that Pokemon has needs to make sure what they launch is as perfect as it can possibly be. Fair or not, DokeV will be directly compared to Pokemon when it launches, so Pearl Abyss will want to be sure it has created the best monster-catching came it can possibly create before giving it to the world. Even if that means holding off on launching that game until five years after it was first announced.
What Pearl Abyss has shown of DokeV so far does suggest it is an incredibly ambitious game. The trailer it dropped last year only showed ten percent of what is clearly a massive island players will be able to explore. It has also used a 180-camera setup to scan real-life items for use in the game, hence everything other than the characters looking incredibly realistic.