The Korean MMO Black Desert is coming to North America and Europe. The publisher Daum is currently setting up its offices in the West and discussing the release date.
In an interview with the developers of Pearl Abyss at Chinajoy, the beginning of 2015 was already mentioned as a possible date for the start of the closed beta in North America and Europe. Those who thought this might mean that it would start soon will now be disappointed. The Korean publisher Daum, which releases Black Desert in Korea and will distribute it in the West, is likely to stick to the Asian beta method.
Betas in Asia are different for MMOs than for us
Here in the West, MMO games are developed for a long time in secrecy, until they invite a small group of testers. The later, larger beta phases often take place just before release and have more of a PR character – with short beta weekends that are only a few days apart, like in The Elder Scrolls Online, WildStar, or now at ArcheAge.
In contrast, in Asia, the public is allowed access to a game earlier, then it is locked again for a few months and reopened later for a certain time.
Due to this cultural difference, we in the West often feel that a game has either been in beta forever and will never be released, or we think it has already been published for years, while it is still in development.
Daum seems to be choosing the Asian beta model for Black Desert
Daum will likely also apply the Asian model to Black Desert. Although the first beta, according to Pearl Abyss, could come as early as the beginning of 2015, Daum’s publishers expect a release date only at the beginning of 2016. They acknowledge that the end of 2015 would be desirable.
At the moment, Daum is setting up its offices and business spaces in the West. The actual focus for Black Desert is currently likely on the Korean third closed beta, which will start in November. The CBT 3 is supposed to bring or refine some key systems in the MMO – such as guild quests or castle sieges.
