Crimson Desert News Feed

Crimson Desert: Review Controversy

​The discourse surrounding Crimson Desert has hit a boiling point after a 0/10 Metacritic user review surfaced. One user reviewer cited a total lack of LGBTQ+ representation as the primary reason for the bottom-tier score, sparking a massive debate within the RPG community. Many players feel that Crimson Desert is being treated unfairly and are calling for a change to the review system as a whole to better reflect the quality of new release. With how easily it is to manipulate review scores these days, players are often calling into question whether sites like Metacritic and even Steam Reviews can be trusted. Reviewers do not even have to have a verified purchase on file to post a score and many Steam reviews go live only a couple minutes following the launch. Now that review scores can even dictate things like developer pay bonuses maybe it is in fact time to take a closer look at this long running industry staple.

​Crimson Desert: Protagonist Reception

​Early feedback on Crimson Desert highlights a growing divide. While the world-building is receiving praise, the protagonist, Kliff, is quickly becoming a point of contention. Critics are labeling him as one of the most underwhelming leads in a modern large-scale RPG while some players like the more blank slate character stating that Pywel, the world of Crimson Desert, is actually the main character whereas Kliff is merely an avatar for the player to better understand the play space. Some extra customization probably would've been welcome but many players don't seem to draw much issue with the light on story approach Pearl Abyss has taken with their new game. Maybe this is something we could see a heavier focus on in a potential follow up game now that Crimson Desert has sold over a confirmed 3 million copies.

Crimson Desert: Pearl Abyss AI Admission

​Pearl Abyss has officially addressed the use of generative AI in Crimson Desert. The studio admitted to using AI tools for early 2D visual props, citing a lack of transparency in the initial stages. They confirmed the intent was to replace these assets with human-made art before launch. This then drew comparison to last year's Game of the Year winner, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, who faced similar backlash when AI generated place holder images were found shortly after launch and then promptly removed. Though we have no way of knowing if either case was intentional it is worth mentioning that both worked quickly to remove the AI content in response to player distaste. This does indicate a larger industry shift toward generative AI would is worrying to some, us included. Hopefully this does not become the norm and games engage with limited generative AI, if any at all, and work hard to make sure it does not end up in the final product.

News courtesy of @pulpculture323 on X