Pearl Abyss, renowned for its game Black Desert, is scheduled to launch a new single-player open-world game titled Crimson Desert in late 2025. During their behind-closed-doors GDC presentation, the development team highlighted the game’s remarkable visuals and gameplay, which are powered by their proprietary BlackSpace engine. The game will offer a seamless open world with meticulously detailed environments, realistic hair and cloth physics, and engaging combat mechanics.
As previously mentioned, this is a highly intricate, seamless, open-world action game. The team initially presented me with an extensive map, indicating that I could travel to any location visible on it. Subsequently, they demonstrated the ‘Seamless Loading’ feature by jumping from a floating platform in the sky and descending toward the surface. As we approached the ground, the remarkable level of detail became evident, showcasing the game’s impressive capabilities.
I am looking forward to gaining more experience with the combat system. Pearl Abyss has provided a substantial amount of gameplay footage thus far, and some impressive mechanics were demonstrated during my preview. One notable feature was the interaction with environmental objects. For instance, there was a door that could be used to exit a zone; however, it could not be damaged by my sword until it had first sustained fire damage. They were able to freeze a group of enemies and shatter them, displaying the engine’s particle effects.
The way that the engine handles cloth, hair, and other items in the environment makes combat and movement through the game world feel tactile. You don’t see fabrics clipping through your mount, weapons, or enemies. When moving through fog or water, you see your impact on the environment. The BlackSpace engine’s ocean and water simulation is extremely detailed. When the simulation is turned off, it’d be like water in most games. When it’s turned on, the water reacts with the wind and tides. You could see water pooled in the small crevasses in the stones. This is an extreme level of detail that most wouldn’t notice running through the game world.
At the end of this presentation, Will from the PR team displayed the Steam page and outlined the requirements for Crimson Desert. This raised a question about what might be preventing other developers from achieving similar results. The Pearl Abyss team emphasized the power of proprietary technology. While using Unity or Unreal Engines is common and has produced excellent results, this example demonstrates that a clear vision can achieve substantial progress without excessive overhead. The demo was likely presented on a high-performance PC, but the minimum system requirements include a GTX 1060, with recommended specifications indicating a GTX 2080. This suggests that Crimson Desert will be accessible to many gamers upon its release.
I can’t wait to get my hands on this game again later in 2025. You’ll be able to play Crimson Desert on Steam, PlayStation, and Xbox consoles. Check out the Crimson Desert site for more information.