Summary
Sony reportedly offeredCrimson Desertdeveloper and publisher Pearl Abyss a limited PS5 exclusivity deal, preventing the game from launching on Xbox for an unspecified period of time. However, Pearl Abyss rejected the offer, opting to self-publish the game as they believed it would be more profitable.
That’s according toa financial bloggerwho attended the investor relations conference last month (as reported byAltChar).
Sony also reportedly likened the game’s atmosphere and story to its own first-party flagshipGhost of Tsushima, while Pearl Abyss revealed that it was inspired by games likeThe Witcher 3,Assassin’s Creed,Red Dead Redemption, andThe Legend of Zelda, seemingly the newerBreath of the WildandTears of the Kingdomreleases. It’s an ambitious project, to say the least, so much so thatfive years after being announced, we still don’t have a concrete release date.
Why Crimson Desert Is Using Its Own Engine And Not UE5
Pearl Abyss also explained the logic behind using its own game engine instead of UE5 during the conference: it all comes down to the finer details. For instance, you behave differently depending on the time of day and temperature, ie your movement speed slows down in the cold. These more focused, granular changes, it claims, wouldn’t be possible with the limitations of a commercial engine.
Crimson Desert was also delayed in 2023 until Q2 2025, and Pearl Abyss clarified that this is because the team wanted to add new features to the open world. What these new features are, it didn’t say. But it did highlight that interactivity with NPCs and the environment was a big focus, which we can see in the reputation system and afformentioned finer details.
Crimson Desert will launch some time next year for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
Crimson Desert
WHERE TO PLAY
Crimson Desert is an open-world action RPG from Black Desert creators Pearl Abyss. Set in the same universe, you play as Macduff, a mercenary of Pywel with a troubled past.
