Crimson Desert, a new project by Korean development studio Pearl Abyss, was announced at The Game Awards 2020. A thematic follow-up to their successful MMORPG Black Desert Online, Crimson Desert is described by the developer as “a revolutionary open world action-adventure that combines elements of narrative driven single-player games with online multiplayer functionality.”
With a gorgeous 4K trailer that showcased beautifully lit natural landscapes, the polish of the visuals had me guessing names of every IP that fit the environment from The Lord of The Rings to Game of Thrones to Dragon’s Dogma. Very polished character models and facial animations added to the impressive presentation. The short snippets of action suggested this game would take a more grounded and gritty approach compared to Black Desert Online’s magical fantasy action style. This reveal was definitely the most impressive and least expected of The Game Awards 2020 for me personally. It’s confirmed that the footage used is in-game gameplay footage, not pre-rendered, though it’s all work-in-progress, so content may change by final release.
While there isn’t a clear indication in the trailer of whether this game will be an MMORPG like its predecessor or simply online co-op, the YouTube description says it “will combine elements of narrative-driven single-player games with online multiplayer functionality,” suggesting it might be a more single-player and focused adventure than Black Desert Online, while still retaining a massive and open world to explore and some kind of multiplayer facet.
And with Black Desert Online being present on PS4/PS4 Pro and PS5 through backward compatibility, it’s a natural assumption that Crimson Desert will make its way to PS5 outright, even though official platforms haven’t been announced yet outside of being confirmed for “console and PC.” We’ll have to keep an eye out for more news on the game ahead of its scheduled winter 2021 release.
[Source: Pearl Abyss]
