Earlier this week one of our representatives, Kerwin Tsang, got to talk to Brian Oh, the CFO/Director of Pearl Abyss, who was at E3 2014 displaying and demoing their MMORPG Black Desert. Pearl Abyss came to E3 in order to find a publisher for a North America and Europe Server, and just recently got announced that they are in the “final phase of negotiations” with a possible publisher, they also mention that the name is well known, but would not release the name until it’s finally announced.
Pearl Abyss mentioned that they have completely brought a new game engine in order to create Black Desert. They wanted to make sure the graphics would hold a small open world, that would take on the many battles like castle sieges, but still look great at the same time. The new engine was created by the developers, and it allows for customization of the worlds to become easier. Black Desert is known as a sandbox MMORPG that provides an open world that puts you in the control what to do in the world, from strategy action such as complex battles, and content that includes trading, hiring, and management of your houses/buildings.
In the interview, we learned a little about the two countries that are divided, Calpheon and Valencia. These two are in competition for an energy resource called The Black Stone. Calpheon is a prosperous, commercial-oriented land, while Valencia holds spiritual values above all else. If you ride your horse from one end to another end, it’ll take about 2 hours.
We also learned from the interview that unlike other games that leave you with nothing to do after reaching the level cap, Black Desert allows players to experience a larger range of content to still enjoy. You will have the option of turning off and on PvP mode, depending on your preference. Also being worked on is a PvP arena, but that is not currently available. If you are in PvP mode and you get killed, your items in your inventory will drop, but others won’t be able to grab them since those items become bound to only you.
Kerwin Tsang asked Brian Oh when would we see this game in America, and we got the answer that it would probably be two years until we see a release here, so a 2016 release is likely. However, there is a third closed beta that is aimed to start this summer.
The races and classes that are currently in the game include warriors, hunters, sorceresses, and predators, but more classes such as the archer, wizard, blader are in development. The three races are Humans, Elves, and Giants, all of which are customizable to the way you want them.
As mentioned above, you could ride your horse from one town to another, but there may be mini-games that are put into the game. We weren’t given any details, but Black Desert may have horse racing. There is also an elephant mount that seats up to 3 players. There may an addition later on the road for a player-to-player relationship, which would allow for players to marry in the game. This feature plus friendship bonuses like crafting together would help in the plan of becoming social.