Sony Is Reportedly Looking to Partner with Korean Studios, Starting with Pearl Abyss for Crimson Desert

South Korean business website MTN reports that Sony, through its PlayStation division, is looking to partner with local game developers and publishers, chiefly Pearl Abyss.

According to MTN, Sony is interested in securing exclusive content for the upcoming game Crimson Desert. As Wccftech readers may recall, Crimson Desert was first announced at G-Star 2019 alongside Shadow Arena (now defunct), PLAN 8 (still missing in action), and DokeV (an open world creature collecting game that resurfaced at Gamescom 2021 with a stunning trailer only to subsequently disappear once again from radars).

Kai Powell was there at G-Star 2019, mere months before the COVID pandemic, and interviewed Crimson Desert Lead Producer Jason Jung. Back then, the game was still billed as an MMORPG with large scale PvP and PvE battles, albeit with a greater focus on narrative compared to Black Desert.

In late 2020, Pearl Abyss revealed a major shift in the game’s direction from MMORPG to open world action/adventure with multiplayer support. Back then, the developers were targeting a late 2021 release, which clearly didn’t materialize. In fact, the Korean studio delayed it indefinitely in July 2021, noting the need for more time to create a deeper, more interesting game.

However, the developers said they are expecting to complete the development of Crimson Desert this year, which is why Sony may be interested in securing a partnership with Pearl Abyss at this point. Here’s an overview of the game provided by the developers in this video.

Players can coordinate attacks against monsters through different combinations of attacks by teaming up with other mercenaries in their group. We wanted to create an engaging combat system that was different from the one-on-one, player-to-monster combat systems typically found in other titles.

One of the most important things about Crimson Desert is that it offers players the chance to experience the game in their own way. Knowledge gained by exploring the world and quests to acquire new items and skills are just a few of the many facets of adventure and exploration that players will find in the game.

There will be much to gain by exploring the nooks and crannies of the world. We really put in an effort to get all the details of the world just right. When it came to the in-game A.I., we really tried to make it as human as possible. For example, there’s a chance that a monster might drop its weapon due to a normal player attack or special skill.

When that happens and a monster is close enough, it’ll charge the player and fight bare-handed. Or it’ll run back, pick up a dropped weapon on the ground, and continue to fight regardless of whether the weapon is the monster’s main weapon.

Pearl Abyss isn’t the only South Korean company being eyed by Sony for partnerships. Others include Neowiz, Com2uS, and NCsoft. As you may remember, there were rumors of a collaboration between Sony’s Guerrilla Games and NCsoft to create an MMO game based on the Horizon IP.

Guerrilla eventually announced an online project, though it did not mention NCsoft or any other partner.