Crimson Desert PvE focused, supports cross-play, ray tracing and HDR

The reveal of Crimson Desert was the kind of surprise that everyone was expecting. Wait, let me clarify this ambiguous statement. Pearl Abyss' second MMORPG and spiritual follow-up to Black Desert Online is the kind of sophomore effort that everyone has their eyes upon.

The Korean studio has a lot at stake, having to follow up on an acclaimed MMORPG, but this comes with many challenges. For example, Crimson Desert began development as a prequel to Black Desert, but the vision was changed early on. However, the similarities between the two worlds are notorious, so there's the risk of Crimson Desert actually cannibalizing part of Black Desert's fanbase.

However, Crimson Desert seems to focus on PvE, despite having PvP systems as well. In an interview with Lead Producer Jason Jung, wccftech learned a few tidbits of info on this and other topics. One of the things that he mentioned was that the story can be played in co-op, but the game seems to be solo-friendly as well, and even includes PvPvE aspects. There will be castle sieges and advanced player trading.

The Crimson Desert proprietary engine is the next step for Pearl Abyss, and it supports both ray tracing and HDR. A console release is confirmed, but the next generation is what Jung prefers, something logical considering that the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Scarlett should be in stores by late 2020. Cross-platform is pretty much a certainty as well.

With the first Crimson Desert beta test vaguely announced for 2020, we'd say that this will happen closer to the end of the year. Nonetheless, this is one exciting MMORPG that you should keep an eye out for.