There is little doubt that, while the main story might have been quite disappointing, Crimson Desert’s open world has filled to the brim with cool details. However, a recent discovery indicates that this attention to detail extends well beyond the surface of the world of Pywel and even extends into space itself. YouTube channel ItemRelocationClub has uploaded a video showing off how, if players can get themselves high enough into the clouds, there is a surprising level of detail for things no one expected.
The video, which you can check out below, shows off the fact that the curvature of the game’s world was modelled, and is visible from space. Along with this, the atmosphere of the planet also seems visible. Looking beyond the planet, it looks like the Milky Way galaxy can be seen in the distance, with many stars dotting the otherwise-black emptiness of space.
Social media user NikTek has uploaded another video showcasing how players can get into space. The process involves using an Infinite Stamina mod for the PC release of Crimson Desert and spamming aerial attacks to gain minor elevation levels with every attack. NikTek has noted that this is a slow process, and the endeavour will likely take players several hours.
“It took quite some time, but once you go high enough, you can see what looks to be the Earth’s atmosphere,” they wrote. “The Milky Way is clearly visible, and I also did a short timelapse while I was there.”
Interestingly, it also looks like developer Pearl Abyss may have even modelled some re-entry effects in case players ever got into space and wanted to head back to land. However, NikTek has noted that the re-entry’s visual effect—showing protagonist Kliff beginning to burn as he starts his descent—might have just been a visual oddity with strange interactions from the in-game lantern.
“When free-falling, Kliff also looks like he’s doing an atmospheric entry as he looks like he is catching fire. I don’t know exactly if this effect was intentional or not, as my lantern was on,” they wrote.
While this could have just been an example of some incredible dedication to add levels of detail that most players would never see, it is also possible that Pearl Abyss has greater plans for Crimson Desert. As NikTek has noted, this could hint towards a potential future DLC, or even an entire game that revolves around space travel.
Since its release last month, Crimson Desert has been quite successful for Pearl Abyss. The studio had confirmed that it had sold 4 million copies worldwide. A more recent report has indicated that the game might have made $200 million in revenue since its launch. According to Alinea Analytics, the PS5 version of Crimson Desert has led in terms of generating revenue, having made the company almost $75 million.
Crimson Desert is available on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S. Pearl Abyss has continued to support it with post-launch updates. Take a look at our thoughts on the most stand-out features of these updates.