Crimson Desert is successful, promoting over 6 million copies in lower than three months. Regardless of preliminary reception at launch being combined, the sprawling single-player open world motion journey has caught on with followers, who’ve marveled on the sheer variety of updates Pearl Abyss has pumped out on a weekly foundation, every one bettering the standard of the sport and added new content material in a significant — and sometimes stunning — approach.
However there’s no signal of Pearl Abyss slowing down. The South Korean studio has stated it desires to make sure Crimson Desert receives long-term help, outlining a summer season roadmap of content material that features enhancements to the core narrative – a recurring criticism of the sport. And there’s even DLC within the works.
Throughout Summer season Recreation Fest 2026, we sat down with Will Powers, director of promoting and PR for Pearl Abyss, to make amends for the state of issues with Crimson Desert. Together with breaking down the sport’s success in its first months and classes realized from its suite of post-launch updates, Powers defined how the builders have been in a position to rapidly tackle suggestions and launch large updates to the sport in a well timed method since launch.
Editor’s Word: This interview has been edited for readability and readability.
IGN: The sport has been a giant hit for Pearl Abyss, and plenty of gamers have been having fun with exploring its world. How has the participant response been total since launch?
Will Powers: Properly, Pearl Abyss is constructed on neighborhood, and that is based mostly on our expertise in dwell service with Black Desert On-line. It is within the Pearl Abyss DNA to hearken to the neighborhood and reply to them; that is been extremely necessary to the builders. The momentum going into launch, together with sustained suggestions and hours performed after its launch, is driving the crew to maintain bettering the sport. The gamers are investing within the sport, and as they preserve taking part in, we’ll preserve constructing it up. It is one thing like Discipline of Goals, that line the place he says, “In the event you construct it, they may come.”
One kind of query we get lots is asking us, why this can be a single-player sport with live-service improvement? And a part of it is as a result of we are able to, [laughs]. We will, and we wish to, add extra worth to the sport in the long run. We wish to preserve bettering the expertise for gamers who’ve been invested in from day one and make sure the sport continues to get higher.
IGN: Has there been a sure sort of suggestions that is been constant from the neighborhood, one which’s been a unbroken effort to enhance?
Will Powers: It is tough to say particularly, however I’ll say that one of many issues the event crew is extremely pleased with is their first-ever console-focused launch, and that is a giant deal for the corporate. It is a huge deal for the Korean improvement crew, they usually wish to proceed bettering the sport’s console expertise. It is one of many few instances that Korean improvement studios have had this degree of success on consoles, and that is been such a problem. In Korea, the platform break up for that sport is 95% on PC and 5% on consoles, however it’s drastically totally different from the West. So when a Korean studio says, “I wish to make a Western-appropriate product,” they have a look at console, clearly, as a result of that is the place quite a lot of the viewers is.
However by way of the core sport itself, I might say one of many constant adjustments from suggestions is enhancements to the UI, that is undoubtedly a chunk of suggestions that they are taking in, as a result of they have not skilled single-player and console sport improvement to this degree earlier than, when they’re principally engaged on MMOs. The UI adjustments are being made to account for single-player video games being designed for gamers who sit down, chill out, and play throughout quite a lot of platforms, shows, and extra.
IGN: With all these updates to the sport, is there a giant problem in not overcorrecting it? To the purpose the place the sport’s identification begins to alter in response to neighborhood suggestions that desires it to be extra like different video games.
Will Powers: Yeah, that is query. There are undoubtedly inner conversations about what kind of neighborhood suggestions to absorb. Do you hearken to the vocal minority on issues, or spend time determining who is aware of finest about system adjustments with how one thing’s imagined to work in a sport, and so forth? However it comes all the way down to needing a central filter on what the DNA of the sport is earlier than it involves Crimson Desert, and that comes all the way down to a core producer who takes any proposed adjustments, whether or not inner or exterior, and decides whether or not they compromise what makes this sport at its core. They’ve to find out whether or not it’s enjoyable as is, or whether or not it will get in the best way of issues, as a result of generally the other is true.
It is like, ‘Okay, we optimized farming as a result of too many button presses and all that, and that is getting in the best way of enjoyable, so let’s repair that.’ It is all about creating a greater, extra approachable expertise. Gamers are having fun with this, however let’s make it simpler for them to take pleasure in it and have enjoyable. Being receptive to suggestions, no matter the place it comes from, is extremely necessary. However with the ability to filter that and just remember to do not lose concentrate on the DNA of the sport is essential, as a result of that is clearly the chance that you just’re pointing at. We have made quite a lot of adjustments, however not sweeping ones that alter the sport’s core identification.
IGN: On that word, one change that was mentioned beforehand was plans to regulate the storytelling of the prevailing sport. Would you be capable of elaborate on what which means precisely, and what kind of suggestions you bought from the neighborhood?
Will Powers: Certain, I am going to begin with what I hope will not be a controversial assertion: artwork is subjective, simply typically. That is to not low cost anybody’s expertise, and folks’s totally different opinions are all legitimate, whether or not it is a overview or a client’s impressions. However that is what comes all the way down to the crux of the query: does that imply we’re overhauling this story and throwing away what we constructed for a unique story than the one individuals initially performed? No. Does it imply we’re making a greater effort to take care of story continuity and enhance cutscenes to make clear story components and supply a greater onboarding expertise? Sure. That is the aim we have now with the improved storytelling, and that is okay.
Many gamers did not essentially perceive the character’s motivation at first hours, they usually felt like characters appeared with out them understanding who they had been within the story. We will tackle that, however that will not change the expertise of those that already performed the sport. However does it make it higher for individuals taking part in for the primary time, or for individuals who wish to play once more? Yeah, completely. However on the finish of the day, we did not wish to compromise on enjoyable, and we additionally do not wish to detract from people who find themselves early adopters for the sport as nicely, so the whole lot that we’re doing is a approach of rewarding their expertise by making it additive to what they’ve already skilled.
IGN: There have additionally been updates hinting at extra adjustments for Damiane and Oongka, who’re Kliff’s playable allies within the sport. Will there be makes an attempt to make them really feel extra necessary and worthwhile throughout the sport’s total expertise?
Will Powers: We have had conversations about fleshing out the backstories for the extra characters, and the specifics are nonetheless to be decided. However clearly, all of that is on the desk, and to go on report as saying that the builders do learn the suggestions that they see throughout the web. Gamers have expressed a need to see extra backstories for the extra playable characters and to know how these individuals got here to be concerned in the principle story. However yeah, it stays to be seen whether or not and the way we find yourself doing it, however that is one of many choices we have now for persevering with to increase the story in Crimson Desert. That is not as a lot as rewriting the story, however coming in to place extra meat on the bones of the story.
IGN: There are additionally plans so as to add DLC to the sport. Are you able to share any insights or particulars about what that may entail precisely, whether or not it is purely a content material improve or possibly one thing extra sweeping to the core sport?
Will Powers: I feel that continues to be to be seen about what route we are going to take with our upcoming plans for that. However, , phrases are necessary. So let’s be very clear concerning the distinction between the phrases ‘replace,’ ‘DLC,’ and ‘enlargement.’ What we have known as the whole lot we have finished and added to the sport proper now has been updates. We’re calling this upcoming undertaking a DLC, so this shall be totally different from all of the updates we have had after the sport launched. In order that’s the place I am going to go together with that. We’re calling it one thing totally different, and there is a good purpose why we’re calling it a DLC.
IGN: It has been fascinating to see what’s been added to the sport thus far. We lately noticed a pinball minigame added, and I feel what’s labored nicely in Crimson Desert is the way it mashes up totally different fantasy RPG types. It is excessive fantasy and steampunk as nicely, and that appears to have given the builders quite a lot of freedom to increase issues as they see match.
Will Powers: Yeah, it is a sort of energy fantasy. Like, how do these items make sense on the planet? There’s been quite a lot of conversations internally main into launch about, ‘Okay, nicely, how do dragons, mechs, trains, and dinosaurs like raptors, all make sense in the identical setting?’ And it simply all comes all the way down to this being a fantasy sport, and it is a huge freaking world. So whenever you play it, it does make sense, and I feel that is what you hit the nail on the pinnacle of, that is the great thing about Crimson Desert. It is so large, and you may play with what is sensible within the totally different areas with totally different cultures and environments, and that presents the inventive liberty to do regardless of the hell you need. It then turns into the query of, ‘What can we wish to do?’ reasonably than, ‘What do we have now to do?’ and that is a enjoyable query.
IGN: Has there been any consideration so as to add mod help for Crimson Desert?
Will Powers: Yeah, I haven’t got reply for that, however I might say my impulsive response is that we’re making an attempt to take care of a constant expertise throughout all Crimson Desert platforms. We simply introduced cross-save for the sport, and we’re gonna have cross-side help for all variations, so I am undecided the way you do this nicely by splitting options that may change one model of the sport. The neighborhood’s already doing it for the PC model, however as a writer, I do not see an official approach to try this. That stated, we like seeing gamers have interaction with the sport to construct their neighborhood and the whole lot associated to it, which is basically nice. I like seeing gamers discuss their experiences taking part in the sport and speaking about what they uncovered.
IGN: Going again to the sport’s broader enchantment, it has been fascinating to see simply how a lot help has been given to a single-player sport like this in such a short while, and gamers have definitely been maintaining with it. Do you are feeling the success of this sport speaks to a bigger development that audiences need extra partaking single-player video games?
Will Powers: I do not see a single variable for this sport’s success. I feel there are various elements at play, however it definitely helps to have sport. The opposite components that threw us for a loop internally had been that we needed to rethink how we have now a neighborhood for a single-player RPG. Like, Pearl Abyss did not have neighborhood managers for a single-player sport, however we did for live-service video games. We have now to work at retaining a neighborhood round this sport to help it. They need an increasing number of content material as a result of they’re having fun with residing on this world, which looks like a live-service sport in scope, however it’s very totally different. Like whenever you buy this sport, you purchase it as soon as, and it is yours.
We additionally needed to reward gamers who’ve been there the entire time by avoiding sudden reductions for early adopters. Usually, in video video games, the primary low cost is 90 days or so. We have not discounted the sport, however that is not as a result of we’re actually grasping by any means. We wish to add extra worth, so we’re persevering with not to remove something however make it a greater expertise with extra worth for the individuals who spent not simply their hard-earned cash but additionally their time, as a result of that is most likely the largest issue proper now for many individuals who wish to play the sport. We’re asking you to play 100+ hours, which is a big time funding. But when you are going to spend your cash, we wish to reward that have by supplying you with a ton of issues to do and making it extra rewarding.
Wesley is Director, Information at IGN. Discover him on Twitter at @wyp100. You possibly can attain Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.