Gamescom Opening Night Live 2023: Pearl Abyss shows off Crimson Desert gameplay in new trailer

Crimson Desert gets new gameplay trailer during Gamescom 2023's opening night live event.
(Image credit: Pearl Abyss)

What you need to know

  • Pearl Abyss originally announced Crimson Desert, an open world action-adventure game, in 2020.
  • In 2021 Crimson Desert was delayed in order to allow the developers more time to expand and add to the game.
  • A new gameplay trailer for Crimson Desert was showcased during Gamescom 2023 Opening Night Live.

Pearl Abyss (the team behind the massive multiplayer fantasy adventure Black Desert) are back at Gamescom 2023 Opening Night Live with a brand-new gameplay trailer for their upcoming open world action-adventure Crimson Desert. Set on the continent of Pywel, Crimson Desert tells a gritty and realistic story of human survival in a harsh landscape that is aesthetic and beautiful as it is brutal. 

Players will experience the story of a band of mercenaries as they fight to survive with diverse combat mechanics including hand-to-hand and wrestling maneuvers. Take up arms with whatever may be within arm's reach, including swords and other surrounding items, to come out victorious in duels and massive battles with large groups of enemies alike.

Built within Pearl Abyss' proprietary BlackSpace Engine, Crimson Desert aims to offer players an engaging setting with memorable characters that utilizes motion captured combat to ramp up the realism. Combat is only a small fraction of what Crimson Desert has to offer as the latest trailer also showed off various mini games, including arm-wrestling, taming wild horses and fishing. The trailer also answered the age-old question of "Can you pet the dog?" with a resounding yes—just before showing off that you can also pick up and cuddle adorable cats, as well. 

Crimson Desert originally debuted at the 2020 Game Awards with a late 2021 release window, but the game was delayed so as to allow the development team more time to expand upon the concept before rushing to release. Unfortunately, there was no confirmation of a new release date for Crimson Desert during Gamescom 2023, but Pearl Abyss has stated that the team is aiming for a simultaneous global release of Crimson Desert on consoles and PC platforms.

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Cole Martin
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Cole is the resident Call of Duty know-it-all and indie game enthusiast for Windows Central. She's a lifelong artist with two decades of experience in digital painting, and she will happily talk your ear off about budget pen displays. 

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