The creators of Black Desert, Pearl Abyss, presented their second new MMORPG in 2019: Crimson Desert was set to be released for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X. It looked a bit like Game of Thrones meets Red Dead Redemption 2. Now there should be new information about the game, but it is now referred to as an “Open World Action Adventure.”
This is Crimson Desert: In August 2019, Pearl Abyss announced that they would bring 4 new MMOs in the coming years. They had just made enough money with the MMORPG Black Desert that they could buy the western MMORPG EVE Online. They were now considered “big global players.”
Pearl Abyss was set to announce a new engine and a whole lineup of exciting new games. The most exciting new project they introduced was Crimson Desert:
- It was to be Pearl Abyss’s 2nd major MMORPG
- Crimson Desert was supposed to be released for PC and “consoles,” actually hinting at a release for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X
- It was to be a “prequel” to Black Desert, set in the same world, but long before the time of the online role-playing game
- A first trailer showed a dark and brutal world – the visuals were reminiscent of Game of Thrones
- It was said that players would lead a mercenary group in Crimson Desert and could interact with the hired fighters and other NPCs. Thus, the idea arose that the player would lead a “gang,” similar to Red Dead Redemption 2
- In interviews, representatives from Pearl Abyss later said: The focus of Crimson Desert is on PvE, the story is more important than in Black Desert – although there is PvP, the focus is on fighting monsters
No more talk of “MMO,” just “Open World Action Adventure”
This is now new: Crimson Desert has released a new teaser trailer that points to a redesigned website (via crimsondesert). In the trailer and on the site, all references to “MMO” or “MMORPG” are missing.
In the YouTube channel description and on the South Korean website for Crimson Desert, it is now referred to as an “Upcoming Open World Action-Adventure.”
Welcome to the official YouTube channel of Crimson Desert, an upcoming open world action-adventure by Pearl Abyss.
YouTube channel description of Crimson Desert
In the first trailer, Crimson Desert was still clearly introduced as an “MMORPG” – such references are now completely absent.
In the YouTube comments, players demand a “better version of Black Desert,” but some are already asking: Is this still an MMO? (via youtube)
There is still no official statement from Pearl Abyss.
If Crimson Desert really is an action-adventure, then another MMORPG hope dies here before the release.
Even the “Magic-MMORPG” turned out to be an “Action-MMO” in a second presentation in January 2020.
This is behind it: From the beginning, the concept of “leading a mercenary gang” seemed contrary to an MMORPG. The trailer also seemed to suggest that there was a fixed main character in focus: The young man who strongly resembles Jon Snow from Game of Thrones.
How an MMORPG with a “fixed main character” is supposed to work is puzzling. They can’t all look the same and act the same.
In 2019, Crimson Desert was still advertised everywhere with “MMORPG,” now a genre designation is deliberately missing: The “Open World Action-Adventure” is relatively well hidden.
The basic idea of Crimson Desert reminded us early on of “Red Dead Redemption 2” with a focus on NPCs and stories. It is quite possible that the game has developed even more strongly in this direction over the past year.
Actually, Pearl Abyss specializes in MMOs and MMORPGs. They have not done anything else so far. But the South Koreans have had a lot of success in North America and Europe. Maybe it is a conscious decision to “go west” and introduce an action-adventure in a fantasy world here. It probably has already reached South Korea that these do super well here.
We will probably receive certainty on December 10: A further presentation of Crimson Desert is scheduled during the Video Game Awards. Perhaps we will still see elements of an MMORPG or at least a multiplayer mode.
For Crimson Desert, we can expect new information in 2020, but a release is not expected for some time anyway. Even if Crimson Desert is now dropped, 2021 could still be a strong MMORPG year:
3 new AAA MMORPGs that are finally set to come in 2021 (No, seriously!)
