4. Black Desert – the exotic honor roll student
This is the situation: Black Desert is like an honor roll student who sets a long list of goals and methodically works through them:
- Black Desert was released sequentially for Xbox One, PS4, and Mobile
- Has opened up more and more regions around the world
- Consistently brings out new classes and new zones
- Ensures that players in Europe no longer have to wait endlessly for content
- Also provided the MMORPG with a graphical overhaul
Black Desert is generally so successful (especially with the mobile version) that the studio Pearl Abyss is now starting to develop several new MMOs and a new engine.
Nevertheless, Black Desert has never fundamentally changed: If someone didn’t like the MMORPG in 2016, they probably won’t like it now either.
Due to the focus on grinding, sandbox elements, and a peculiar “enhancement” system for equipment, it remains an exotic outlier in its fourth year in the West and has not become a “mainstream” MMORPG. One may like Black Desert or not – but one must respect how the game has evolved and how Pearl Abyss works consistently to become a significant MMO company.
How did 2019 go? Ultimately, it was a year like those before. Black Desert was released on PS4 and Xbox One. At the end of 2019, the mobile version was launched in Europe.
Additionally, Black Desert was expanded and enlarged: It was a year of growth without major incidents. However, despite all the praise, Black Desert did not manage to really take root in the West.
The interest in the PS4 and Xbox One versions did spark in the West, but the releases didn’t turn into major phenomena. A WoW Classic thrilled MMORPG players in the West, while Black Desert remains a game for the niche.
What does 2020 look like? 2020 will continue along the well-known pattern. Pearl Abyss has already introduced a new class, which will be coming soon, and will also bring new zones.
Officially, it’s stated that Black Desert intends to prioritize “quality over quantity”, which could be a code for the fact that the development pace of Black Desert will decrease. There’s also not much more room to explore without fundamentally altering the game, which is apparently undesirable.
With “Seasons,” Black Desert aims to become more appealing to newcomers.
The company behind Black Desert is preparing to think anew in 2020. With the MMORPG “Crimson Desert,” Pearl Abyss plans a sort of parallel game/sequel to Black Desert. This aims to place a greater emphasis on the PvE aspect and a story campaign: these are the areas that many western MMORPG fans felt were lacking in Black Desert.
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