Oh man, so get this. Crimson Desert — yeah, that game they’ve been teasing us with since 2019 — is delayed again. I mean, are we shocked? Not really, considering the whole merry-go-round of release dates we’ve been on since forever. At one point, I genuinely thought it was a fever dream. Anyway… or wait, was I going somewhere with this? Oh right, delays. The latest scoop is we gotta hang tight till 2026 now. Yikes, right?
So here’s a bit of twisty-turny backstory. Pearl Abyss originally wanted Crimson Desert to be a prequel MMO to Black Desert Online. As if one desert wasn’t enough. Somehow, it shape-shifted into a solo RPG, and yes, people yell about how it gives off Dragon’s Dogma and Tears of the Kingdom vibes. Tangent alert: do games ever sound like they’d be best paired with coffee or is that just me?
Anyway — wait, again — let’s backtrack a sec. Pearl Abyss just had this earnings call in 2025, and dropped the bomb: release is now early 2026. Classic, right? First, they were like, aiming for late 2025. Honestly, what’s a few months when you’ve waited this long? Apparently working with external folks on stuff like voice-overs and console stuff took a tad longer than planned. Who would’ve guessed?
Oh, and during some June buzz, there was a rumor about a November 2025 release. LOL, nope. Pearl Abyss shot that one down like, “We never said that!” Just a big, fat, well-timed mix-up, classic style.
Hey, silver lining — there’s a demo! Yes, a actually playable demo set for Gamescom 2025. So, if you were ready to throw your wallet at them like a frisbee, you’ll catch a glimpse. They’re talking like the game’s nearly wrapped up, like putting the bow on a package kind of thing. If you’re like me, you’ll probably queue up just for the drama of it all.
Anyway, buckle up, because this long wait just got longer, but maybe — just maybe — it’ll be worth the ride. Or, you know, maybe it won’t. Who’s to say?
