The new action RPG Crimson Desert is already highly anticipated by many. However, players on Xbox almost couldn’t play the game as Sony was reportedly looking to keep it exclusive to PS5.
Which game is it? The action RPG Crimson Desert comes from Pearl Abyss, the developers of Black Desert. The game is set to release in the second quarter of 2025 for PC, PS5, and Xbox, and was originally conceived as a prequel to Black Desert.
In the meantime, the action RPG focuses on single-player gameplay with an interesting open world. As the leader of a mercenary group, players fight against monstrous foes in a medieval setting.
However, Xbox players almost missed out on the game, as Sony apparently wanted the game exclusively for itself.
Here you can watch the trailer for Crimson Desert:
Exclusive deal rejected
What kind of deal was it? Sony Interactive Entertainment reportedly had interest in an exclusive deal for Crimson Desert. The publisher is said to have offered a deal where the developers would receive support from Sony, but in return, Crimson Desert would initially be exclusive to PlayStation (via jpgames.de).
However, Pearl Abyss is said to have declined the deal. According to Insider-Gaming, the developers stated: “It was determined that self-publishing would be very profitable.”
However, the reports should be taken with caution because the primary source is the post of a financial blogger who is now offline. Furthermore, it is rather atypical for a financial blogger to release such internal information. Deals like the one described here are not uncommon in the industry.
Sony uses exclusive games to boost their console sales. Such games are also referred to as “system sellers.” For years, Sony has been loosening exclusivity for PC more and more. Games like Helldivers 2 were even released simultaneously on both systems. The shift to bringing games to PC has earned Sony a lot of money.
What else is revealed about Crimson Desert? The source also shares the internal thoughts regarding the game (via Reddit). For example, the development is nearly complete and the focus is on the open world, for which they even had to make modifications to their own engine.
After the development of Crimson Desert, the developers plan to continue with the work on the crazy open-world action-adventure DokeV. Multiplayer content is also planned for the game.
Players who have been looking forward to playing Crimson Desert on their Xbox can breathe a sigh of relief. Currently, there are no indications that a deal with Sony was made. The action RPG is still set to release on PC, Xbox Series X|S, and PS5. The developers have already shown a lot of the game: “The game deserves the hype” – Crimson Desert surprisingly shows almost 1 hour of gameplay, exciting fans.
