Pearl Abyss Boss Sympathizes With 'Disappointment' Over Crimson Desert's Story: 'It Would Have Been Nice if We Could Have Done a Better Job With It'

Crimson Desert’s communicative has go the taxable of disapproval ever since Pearl Abyss’ sprawling unfastened satellite enactment escapade launched past week. While immoderate players are perfectly blessed treating Crimson Desert arsenic much of a sandbox crippled than a story-driven adventure, astir hold that the existent plot, storyline, and characters permission a batch to beryllium desired.

It turns out, Pearl Abyss CEO Heo Jin-young agrees that Crimson Desert’s communicative could person been better. South Korean media person reported connected a Q&A league pursuing Pearl Abyss’ regular wide shareholders' gathering held astatine the company's office successful Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province connected March 27, and determination Heo Jin-young answered shareholder’s disapproval that Crimson Desert lacks a storyline.

"I sympathize to immoderate grade with the disappointment users consciousness regarding the story,” Heo Jin-young said, arsenic reported by Yonhap News Agency. “I deliberation it would person been bully if we could person done a amended occupation with it. The accumulation squad tried to marque up for the shortcomings successful the remaining time, but ultimately, we focused connected strengthening the gameplay, which is what we bash best."

Part of the treatment astir Crimson Desert's storyline revolves astir main quality Kliff, who has each the property of an bare vase. From IGN's Crimson Desert review:

While the satellite you’ll research is afloat of amusive worldly to do, the stories you’ll find successful it are consistently bad. From the infinitesimal you’re introduced to the archetypal of its 3 playable characters – Kliff, a viking-coded warrior who is connected a debased stakes revenge quest against different radical of barbarians – there’s precise small to go invested in, and it lone gets worse from there. The communicative is aimless, the characters are forgettable crossed the board, the dialog is often beauteous hard to perceive to, and there’s an full multi-chapter arc successful the main questline that’s centered connected a quality who dies offscreen earlier the communicative adjacent begins – they continually effort to marque you attraction astir this idiosyncratic done aggregate ceremonial scenes separated by hours and hours of crippled time. It’s unusual because, with agelong sequences of talking to your companions and a batch of clip spent watching cutscenes arsenic portion of the main story, it does look similar Pearl Abyss wanted radical to attraction astir this stuff, but astir nary of it is truly worthy paying attraction to and overmuch of it is actively cringe worthy. That said, determination are besides a batch of cutscenes afloat of cool, anime-style fights – those are beauteous sick.

Based connected Heo Jin-young's comments, Pearl Abyss was astatine the slightest alert that Crimson Desert's communicative wasn't astatine the level of the remainder of the game, but ran retired of clip to bash thing meaningful astir it. Still, with 3 cardinal copies sold successful little than a week, Crimson Desert is connected its mode to hitting 5 cardinal sales, Heo Jin-young said. That would surely solidify the crippled arsenic a hit. According to the Korean concern press, Pearl Abyss reportedly spent 7 years making Crimson Desert, with improvement costs coming successful astatine 200 cardinal won (approx. $133 million).

You’d expect DLC of immoderate kind, then. But according to Heo Jin-young, thing has been decided yet, and the absorption is connected improving the basal crippled via patches.

“While it is bully to spot income driven by enlargement packs, I judge determination are games that make gross by expanding income of the basal crippled arsenic contented expands,” helium said. “I privation to marque strategical decisions that guarantee the basal crippled of Crimson Desert sells well.”

Speaking of which, Heo Jin-young answered a question connected the introduction obstruction caused by Crimson Desert’s precocious trouble (this is however the question was phrased). He replied: "I recognize that idiosyncratic convenience is being prioritized. Various streamers and influencers volition beryllium progressive to solidify the assemblage and span the introduction obstruction for caller users."

If you’re jumping into Crimson Desert’s immense unfastened world, we urge you instrumentality a look astatine our usher to Things to Do First successful Crimson Desert, positive Things Crimson Desert Doesn’t Tell You (we’ve got 28 and counting!). We’ve besides got a usher to the Best Early Weapons we urge picking up, the Best Skills to Get First (including a useful explainer of the skills system), and 34 Essential Tips and Tricks to assistance you win successful Pywel.

Meanwhile, determination are “no factual plans” for authoritative mod enactment due to the fact that it “would necessitate opening up a ample portion of the engine.” There is speech of a Nintendo Switch 2 version, though, nevertheless improbable that sounds. “Since the Switch inactive has little specifications compared to different console devices, determination are parts we person to springiness up on, but internally we person taken an involvement and started probe and improvement (R&D),” Heo Jin-young said.

Regarding enactment for mods (mod files that modify crippled content), helium explained, "Since the mod assemblage is progressive and our crippled has a sandbox structure, we judge that supporting it would beryllium a strength," but added, "On the different hand, supporting mods would necessitate opening up a ample portion of the engine, truthful portion the improvement squad views it positively, determination are nary factual plans."

There’s different absorbing worldly successful the Q&A. Apparently Pearl Abyss tried to adhd multiplayer to Crimson Desert, but it proved excessively hard due to the fact that of the interaction connected the graphics (I presume the meaning present is the show of the game, specifically).

While you hold for the adjacent Crimson Desert patch, we’ve got plentifulness much connected the crippled to cheque out, including an nonfiction connected however Crimson Desert players are gathering a feline service — and immoderate are adjacent honoring the representation of their IRL cats who passed away.

Wesley is Director, News astatine IGN. Find him connected Twitter astatine @wyp100. You tin scope Wesley astatine [email protected] oregon confidentially astatine [email protected].