Pearl Abyss’ upcoming action-adventure game, Crimson Desert, is “a very hard game to demo”, though it is still under consideration by the developer.
During a recent interview conducted by content creator Luke Stephens, Crimson Desert PR Lead Will Powers was asked whether developer Pearl Abyss has plans to release a demo ahead of launch. While he didn’t offer a definitive yes or no, his response shed light on why creating a demo is proving to be a complicated endeavor.
Powers acknowledged that the question has come up repeatedly within the community. Rather than dismissing the idea outright, he said that Pearl Abyss is actively considering it. “I never want to shut down the possibility of anything,” he said. However, he explained that the studio’s current promotional focus is on getting the game “in the hands of a ton of people before launch” in controlled settings, primarily to “ease concerns about the game as a whole.”
According to the Crimson Desert PR Lead, the game does not lend itself easily to a short, self-contained demo. “Candidly, this is a very hard game to demo in a limited amount of time,” he said. He further explained that something like “a one-hour vertical slice isn’t representative of the game.”
Powers referenced previous hands-on experiences offered to press as examples of this difficulty. One was a combat-focused boss rush, but he noted that “bosses aren’t even a huge part of the game.” Another was a chapter focused on a large-scale siege battle, which he described as “probably the most representative,” yet still problematic because it is a highly scripted set-piece. As per him, “Neither of those would be appropriate for a demo because it’s in isolation [and] wouldn’t convey the whole experience of the product.”
As a result, the Crimson Desert PR Lead said that the development team at Pearl Abyss doesn’t want to release a demo that could misrepresent the game. While no final decision has been made, he reiterated that the studio is listening. “We hear you and it is something that is consistently contemplated on our side,” he said.
