Crimson Desert is NOT an MMORPG.

Crimson Desert is NOT an MMORPG, but that doesn’t mean I’m any less excited to play it. That doesn’t mean that it is any less anticipated – from any of us, right? In fact, that might make it all the more appealing to players, considering it won’t run rampant with pay-to-win – something that plagues their other popular MMO, Black Desert Online.

Interviews with Pearl Abyss have been surfacing on the internet, and with those interviews comes a surplus of new information pertaining to the upcoming game.

Today, I’d like to cover what’s on everyone’s minds: Is Crimson Desert an MMORPG? The answer is a resounding no. No it is not. Pearl Abyss have confirmed that while Crimson Desert was initially being developed as an MMORPG, somewhere down the line, after much of the narrative for the story was complete, they found that it felt a little too single-player focused than an MMO, and lacked a lot of what made an MMO.. well, an MMO. So instead of trying to somehow salvage the game and turn it into an MMO, they opted to build it as a single-player RPG, with the option of playing it multiplayer as well. Yes, there will be 100% full multiplayer functionality built into the game. You can either play the entire story alone, or you can bring some friends and tackle it as a multiplayer game instead. There are no plans, currently, for single-player or multiplayer exclusive content. As this is a narrative driven RPG, there is also a beginning and an end in mind. Pearl Abyss have confirmed that Crimson Desert will have a full ending, allowing players to still pick up and carry on after they’ve completed the story, running around the world, fighting, raiding and more.

Crimson Desert is being built for the PS4, Xbox One and PC, but is also going to offer players PS5 and Xbox Series X compatibility down the line as well, however there has been no mention yet of cross-play functionality.

Crimson Desert is scheduled to release (if all goes according to plan) in the 4th quarter of 2021, meaning anywhere between October through December. I’d honestly wager a guess that it’ll have a December 2021 release date, but don’t quote me.

When all is said and done, I’m even more intrigued by the kind of game this will ultimately end up being, and knowing I’ll get to play through – what is essentially a deep, narrative-driven Black Desert with Mrs Stix has me all giddy inside.