New Crimson Desert Gameplay Will Premiere At Gamescom Opening Night Live

Gamescom is on the horizon and kicks off with Opening Night Live next week, the E3-style showcase of upcoming games hosted by Geoff Keighley. Today, Keighley revealed that the long-quiet Crimson Desert will make its presence known in the form of new gameplay footage.

Crimson Desert was first revealed at The Game Awards in 2020 and comes from Pearl Abyss, the studio behind the popular MMO Black Desert Online. Crimson Desert is a single-player open-world RPG set in the gritty medieval fantasy world of Pywel. This biodiverse continent is inhabited by humans, fantastical races, and mystical beasts and centers on Macduff, a mercenary who assembles a band of comrades to survive an ensuing power struggle of numerous factions vying to take control of the continent. 

Next Tuesday, join us at @gamescom Opening Night Live, to see a brand new look at the gameplay of CRIMSON DESERT (@CrimsonDesert_) from Pearl Abyss.

Catch the livestream everywhere at 8p CET/7p BST/2p ET/11a PT at https://t.co/AFycLZG9XF pic.twitter.com/mEj030uEQN

— Geoff Keighley (@geoffkeighley) August 16, 2023

The game’s presentation and tone have Western fantasy vibes reminiscent of series such as Game of Thrones. Combat consists of fast-paced melee combat (both unarmed and with various weapons) and flashy magic abilities. If you haven’t seen Crimson Desert in action, check out this gameplay overview released around the game’s announcement.

Crimson Desert doesn’t have a release date, but Pearl Abyss CEO Jin-Young Heo stated earlier this year that the game was targeting a fall 2023 release window. We’ll likely find out of that’s still the case when Opening Night Live airs on August 22 at 11 a.m. Pacific/2 p.m. Eastern.