Crimson Desert Developer Pearl Abyss Comments on Denuvo Controversy

Pearl Abyss, the studio behind Black Desert Online and the upcoming single-player title Crimson Desert, has responded to backlash surrounding the sudden addition of Denuvo in its next title. Crimson Desert is set to launch on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC on March 19, which is now just a few days away. But with its launch on the horizon, Pearl Abyss left fans massively concerned after it revealed that the game’s PC version will ship with Denuvo.

It’s once again shaping up to be a massive year for video games, with Marvel’s Wolverine, Grand Theft Auto 6, Saros, and many more all scheduled to launch in the coming months. Following on from the release of Resident Evil Requiem last month, Pearl Abyss is now looking to make its own mark on the year with Crimson Desert, undoubtedly one of the most ambitious titles in recent memory. From jetpacks to tree launch, the studio’s upcoming action-adventure game not only has a massive open world that is supposedly bigger than Red Dead Redemption 2‘s and twice the size of Skyrim‘s, but it’s got nearly every gameplay feature you could ask for. This has, however, raised a genuine concern among gamers: will Crimson Desert‘s performance be affected by its sheer ambition?

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Pearl Abyss Responds to Crimson Desert’s Denuvo Controversy

There have already been concerns for months about possible performance issues, but speculation then intensified this week when Pearl Abyss quietly added Denuvo DRM to Crimson Desert‘s Steam version. There are a multitude of reasons as to why Denuvo is controversial, but one of the main concerns is the performance issues it can sometimes introduce if not implemented by developers correctly. To ease these fears, Pearl Abyss has issued a new statement to Forbes writer Paul Tassi, noting how all benchmark videos and performance specs were created with the exact same implementation of Denuvo that will be in the launch build. “It’s important that reviewers and benchmarkers’ experience with the game is ultimately representative of the final consumer’s experience,” the studio told Tassi.

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This statement appears to have eased some concerns, with some responding by saying it is “good to know,” but others rightly questioning why Pearl Abyss didn’t reveal the use of Denuvo sooner if all previous footage had the system already in use. For those unaware, Denuvo is a third-party anti-tamper software that makes it much more difficult for a game’s files to be tampered with, which protects it from piracy. Unfortunately, it has often sparked controversy for performance issues, especially on older hardware, as players often report lower FPS, increased CPU usage, and more. This isn’t always the case, as it often depends on how a developer optimizes things when integrating the software, but many gamers are often left disappointed when a title includes Denuvo.

Although it may be one of the most anticipated releases of the year, this hasn’t been the first time that Crimson Desert has received backlash. With the title set to launch in less than a week, fans have been waiting months for the studio to release details on Crimson Desert‘s console performance, particularly for the PS5 and PS5 Pro. Thankfully, Pearl Abyss finally divulged the information earlier this week, revealing three different performance options for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 5 Pro, and Xbox Series X. The Series S version of Crimson Desert will only have two options available: Performance and Quality, with neither including Ray Tracing.

Fans were also eager to see Crimson Desert in action on PS5, after the majority of footage released by the developer was recorded on PC. The studio provided Digital Foundry, who are known for technical breakdowns and in-depth testing, with a review copy, specifically on the PS5 Pro, and the findings were impressive. The outlet praised Pearl Abyss’ proprietary BlackSpace Engine and stated that performance was “nothing short of remarkable,” finally putting concerns around the game’s performance on consoles to bed.