I’ll be the first to admit it, it’s odd that I’m doing a tech article normally as this audience is more of the “Get to the good stuff” gamers, I’m one too so don’t feel bad, but this caught my attention when it came in my inbox. Behind closed doors at the 2025 Game Developers Conference (GDC), game developer Pearl Abyss showcased their proprietary BlackSpace Engine, how it’s being used for their upcoming game, Crimson Desert, and how the engine will help bring the game’s world to life.
First off, to me at least, Crimson Desert looks like an Action RPG (and souls-like) game that takes place in the world of Pywel. Players take on the role of Kliff and his comrades the Greymanes, as they explore the vast open world of Pywel where they encounter enemies, find settlements, fight bosses, and find secrets. So in other words, fans of exploration games will be eating good with Crimson Desert.
Now here’s all the tech goodies that intrigued me, and you too!
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Seamless Open-World Exploration: The BlackSpace Engine renders vast, far-reaching open worlds in great detail and allows for a continuous exploration experience with its seamless loading. Players can traverse a wide variety of landscapes including forests, medieval cities, snowy mountains, and vast deserts, with the world around them rendered in real time.
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Detailed Physics and Environmental Interactions: The engine’s simulations enhance environmental realism, with trees, grass, cloth, and hair swaying naturally in response to wind and movement, enhancing the world’s believability. Destructible environments, real-time physics interactions, and details like volumetric fog create a dynamic, living world where objects and surroundings respond intuitively to the player’s actions.
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Dynamic and Realistic Combat: The BlackSpace Engine brings weight and impact to every combat encounter. Detailed hit reactions and physics-driven interactions create part of the foundation for Crimson Desert’s deeply engaging combat system. Object destruction can vary depending on the force applied, and enemies can collide with the environment dynamically, adding depth to battles.
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Real-Time Lighting and Atmospheric Effects: The engine calculates lighting in real-time, replicating detailed light behavior for increased realism, even with ray tracing disabled. Detailed atmospheric scattering effects, dynamic weather such as rain, snow, and fog, and the engine’s real-time lighting calculations all enhance the world’s graphical quality and immersion.
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Realistic Water and Fluid Simulation: Using FFT Ocean Simulation and Shallow Water Simulation, the BlackSpace Engine produces highly realistic water effects. The simulated water creates realistic waves, flow, and ripples, adding to the game’s immersive and graphical quality.
Crimson Desert is scheduled for release in late 2025 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.
