It’s no secret that Pearl Abyss’s Crimson Desert is a massive game. One look at the gameplay reveal trailer from years ago with its massive battles, goat carrying, flying, and whatnot is more than enough to convince anyone. It’s probably unsurprising to learn that review codes will be sent out one month before release. At least that’s the plan, as per marketing and strategic planning expert Will Powers.
In a now-private interview from the New Game+ Showcase, Powers, who is in charge of scheduling review codes, said, “I’m giving people a month with the game. Please. I think you’re going to need it.”
There are two key reasons for this, including the fact that other games could interfere with reviewers’ schedules. “One, because I want people to spend time in it, and two, because I know we have a crowded release schedule, and I don’t want people to start prioritizing one over the other, right? And having to rush reviews because nobody benefits from that.”
Powers noted in the same interview that Pywel, the world in which Crimson Desert takes place, is larger than Red Dead Redemption 2’s map. Not only that, but it’s at least twice the size of the playable open world of The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim. As such, there’s a lot to uncover, but regardless of the development team’s confidence in providing review codes so far ahead of time, Powers believes that one will have a better experience if they’re not rushing through it.
Crimson Desert launches on March 19th for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC. Check out this boss fight against one of the more cinematic bosses, Golden Star.
