Crimson Desert just teased a multiplayer mode and it's what the game needs

Pearl Abyss is backtracking on its previous admissions that Crimson Desert would not receive a multiplayer mode, now admitting “there is room” for one.

While the competition is stiff this year, there’s every chance that Crimson Desert could secure itself a game of the year nomination.

Pearl Abyss’ behemoth open-world RPG isn’t for everyone; its map shows no restraint and, to some gamers, that can be overwhelming.

Many, though, have already racked up hundreds of hours in the game, and that’s only going to increase with a confirmed paid DLC on the way and seemingly now a multiplayer mode too.

As reported by Inven Global, Pearl Abyss CEO Huh Jin-young addressed the demand for a multiplayer mode during a recent investors call.

Pearl Abyss is 'conducting various studies' in preparation for multiplayer

“I am aware of the high interest in multiplayer, given that Crimson Desert was initially planned as an online game,” Jin-young began.

“It is true that the action and open-world structure of Crimson Desert have long-term expansion potential.

“However, multiplayer is not just a matter of adding a mode. It is a major task that requires reviewing server structures, balance, platform-specific stability, and operating systems.”

Jin-young added that the team is “currently conducting various studies on both technical feasibility and gameplay”.

“While it is not the stage to discuss a confirmed release plan, we are continuously reviewing ways to allow users to enjoy the Crimson Desert IP for longer, and I believe there is room for a multiplayer mode in that process,” he concluded.

Considering that Pearl Abyss developed the MMO Black Desert, it feels like a given that it’ll be able to get some form of multiplayer mode working in Crimson Desert.

What remains to be seen is whether it’ll be offered as a free addition for existing players or whether Pearl Abyss will attempt to monetise in the same way that you have, say, GTA V and GTA Online.

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A multiplayer mode might actually make Crimson Desert more appealing

Pearl Abyss

As brilliant as Crimson Desert is, it can be an overwhelming formula to gel with - and it’s that consensus which formed our eight out of 10 review.

Here at GAMINGbible, we said, “Crimson Desert is by no means a perfect game. It’s an amalgamation of perhaps slightly too many ideas, and that makes for a weirdly paced experience that demands a lot of the player without offering much in the way of help.

“And yet, it left me in awe more times than anything else I’ve played in recent memory with its dazzling open-world. Crimson Desert may not be the best game you'll ever play, but it’ll certainly be up there as perhaps the most memorable.”

I’ll admit, I haven’t scoured every inch of the game’s world since I completed that main playthrough because, admittedly, I just began to feel a little burnt out and overwhelmed.

Yet had I been exploring Crimson Desert with a friend, chatting nonsense while we uncovered its many secrets, I really do think it would have improved the experience for me - and I don’t think I’m alone in feeling that way.

Crimson Desert is undoubtedly going to prove to be one of the best-selling games of the year, but if within the next 12 months Pearl Abyss can figure out how to implement multiplayer, it could just as well dominate 2027 too.