Pearl Abyss focuses on aggressive optimization for Crimson Desert

Pearl Abyss is in the final stages of production of Crimson Desert, and the current focus is to ensure that the ambitious open-world RPG does not reach players broken. Wil Powers, head of public relations at Pearl Abyss America, confirmed that the studio is in an intensive phase of technical polishing. The challenge is considerable: to maintain fluidity in a massive map, without loading screens and with high density of details, especially on platforms with hardware limitations, such as Xbox Series S.

The game uses a next-generation proprietary engine that, according to the developer, is capable of running natively at 4K at 60 FPS with enabled ray tracing. The controversial point is that this performance does not require upscaling technologies like DLSS or FSR, but demands high-performance hardware. For most players who do not have top-of-the-line machines, the scenario remains uncertain. Although support for PS5 Pro is guaranteed, graphic settings for base consoles have not yet been detailed, raising a warning signal about visual stability on these machines.

In terms of customizations, players will have the option to disable particle effects to gain performance boost, although Pearl Abyss does not recommend the practice. Powers argues that these effects are essential visual reading tools to understand combat mechanics. For a title that promises fast movement and intense battles, sacrificing visual clarity in exchange for frames per second can compromise the core experience of the game.

Crimson Desert is scheduled for March 19 on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. The history of open-world games with proprietary engines is often marked by unstable releases, and the fact that the developer admits that the maximum specifications are inaccessible to most is a cold shower in the expectation of graphic democratization. It remains to be seen if the optimization efforts will be enough to avoid the hiccups that frequently plague titles of this scope at launch.

Do you believe that proprietary engines are still the way to technical innovation or should Pearl Abyss have opted for more stable solutions like Unreal Engine 5?