Crimson Desert performance capture and Kliff model Trevor McEwan takes to Reddit to discuss the game with fans, including giving his take on the game’s narrative plot. After revealing the game back in 2020, developer Pearl Abyss would take the next 6 years to continue developing the game before its eventual launch on March 19, 2026. Crimson Desert would see multiple delays during development, but it hasn’t stopped the fan excitement from building.
Despite the bumps along the way, the effort clearly paid off as Crimson Desert has passed multiple sales milestones. In fact, the game has sold over 5 million copies in less than a month, and is quickly on its way to becoming one of the top-selling games of 2026. While the game launched to some mixed reviews from critics, it has proven to be a hit with fans, especially as Pearl Abyss continues to address pain points and smoothing out some of the rougher edges with consistent updates. However, one part of the game that continues to be a sticking point with fans is the game’s story, seemingly one of the weaker parts of the experience.
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Crimson Desert Performance Capture and Kliff Model Discusses Lackluster Plot
In a new AMA session on the Crimson Desert subReddit, Trevor McEwan took fan questions regarding the development of the game. McEwan served as the performance capture and model for Crimson Desert‘s main protagonist, Kliff, and with the game surpassing 5 million copies sold, he took to Reddit to meet up with fans. As expected, McEwan fielded all sorts of questions, ranging from what his favorite Korean food is since he currently resides there, what it was like to use some of the props during motion capture, as well as any other behind-the-scenes details that he was able to share. The controversial Crimson Desert character Yann was also a favorite topic of conversation for many as well.
However, some fans asked McEwan directly about his thoughts on Crimson Desert‘s overall narrative, considering that many regard that side of the game to be underwhelming, unable to hold up with many of the other impressive features and content. When asked directly about how he feels about the game’s plot and how many believe it feels a bit barebones, McEwan admitted that he understood where fans were coming from, but felt that while “it lacks in narrative it more than makes up for in other aspects.” He also went on to say that Crimson Desert has tons of hidden collectibles to find across the world, which contains more lore for those who don’t mind a bit of reading.
Similarly, McEwan was also asked about Kliff and how the character feels “empty” as if he’s more of a black slate for the player to fill in. In response, McEwan believed from his interpretation that Kliff was intentionally designed this way. Ultimately, Kliff has “a lot going on under the surface” and comes off as being very guarded because of it. As being part of the Greymane faction in Crimson Desert, Kliff regards their mission, as well as regarding them as family, as the most important thing, attaching himself to that ideal. For those wondering, Kliff’s voice actor, Alec Newman, even based the character’s voice on one of his family members, not Keanu Reeves as one fan suggested.
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While the core narrative is what it is at this point, many are expecting Pearl Abyss to release some bigger DLC at some point in the future, so perhaps an upcoming expansion will be able to focus on telling a more compelling narrative. As fans continue to wait for DLC news, Pearl Abyss continues to chip away at the game through updates. In fact, Crimson Desert‘s upcoming patch has been detailed, with the developer admitting that it’ll be a large update that adds highly requested features like better inventory management, difficulty sliders, keyboard/mouse presets, and more.
- Released
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March 19, 2026
- ESRB
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Mature 17+ / Blood, Drug Reference, Intense Violence, Strong Language
- Developer(s)
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Pearl Abyss
- Publisher(s)
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Pearl Abyss
