Overview
- Marketing lead Will Powers says the team declines the RPG tag and considers “open-world” the game’s primary genre.
- Player power comes from exploration-driven finds such as abyss artifacts, gear, materials, and blueprints, with artifacts unlocking skill nodes for Kliff, Damiane, and Oongka.
- Crimson Desert omits XP, level-ups, dialogue choices, and a full character creator, while offering deep customization for the three leads, their horses, and a pilotable war robot via Black Desert Online’s toolset.
- Pearl Abyss emphasizes a premium, single-purchase release with no cosmetic microtransaction shop at launch.
- PC mod support remains undecided ahead of the March 19, 2026 launch on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.