Black Desert Online
A sandbox MMORPG with action combat and deep character customization.
Its combat system requires manual aiming and free movement, similar to third-person shooters, and it offers housing, fishing, farming, trading, and large-scale siege events.[1] Black Desert Online, a sandbox fantasy MMORPG from Korean developer Pearl Abyss, was originally published for Microsoft Windows in 2015.[2]
Quick Facts
- Developer
- Pearl Abyss
- Director
- Kim Dae-il, Yoon Jae-min
- Producer
- Berkay Bayar Kim Jae-hee
- Designer
- Murtoli Durdoli
- Artist
- Seo Yong-su
- Composer
- Ryu Hui-min
- Genre
- MMORPG
- Modes
- Multiplayer
Facts from the source article.
Making and release
A Japanese publishing deal with GameOn Japan was signed on 8 September 2012, and the game was demonstrated at G-Star in November 2012 and at Gamescom 2013.[3] Closed beta testing started in October 2013, a second three-week closed beta began in April 2014, and open beta launched in December 2014.[4] Kim Daeil, who had previously worked at Hangame and NHN Gaming, established Pearl Abyss in September 2010, and the studio started developing Black Desert Online soon after that.[5] The PC version launched in Korea, Japan, and Russia during 2015; North America and Europe received it on 3 March 2016; additional regions including South America, Turkey, the Middle East, North Africa, and Southeast Asia saw releases in 2017 and 2018.[6]
On 22 August 2018, Pearl Abyss launched Black Desert Remastered, an updated PC version that introduced enhanced visuals and new audio.[7]
What the cited sources add
The MMO Culture interview with Pearl Abyss states that Black Desert is the studio's first MMORPG, led by the creator of Webzen's Continent of the Ninth.[8] The same interview explains that the game's world is divided into two countries, the Republic of Calpheon and the Kingdom of Valencia, which compete for Black Stone, an essential energy resource.[8] According to the interview, the desert area separating the two countries is called the "Black Desert" by Calpheon and the "Red Desert" by Valencia due to blood-stained sand.[8] The developers chose a setting between the Middle-ages and Renaissance period because that era's imagery matched their initial concepts.[8]
The interview notes that the studio employed around 60 people on the Black Desert project at the time.[8]
References
- Wikipedia, "Black Desert Online" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Black Desert Online: An Oasis For Sandbox MMORPG Lovers", Game Informer, 28 March 2016; "Top 6 Modern MMOs to Play", GamingRespawn, 11 April 2017; "Black Desert for Xbox One Gets New Trailer Boasting its Top-Notch Character Customization", Twinfinite, 2019-02-26 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Black Desert Online" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Calvin, "Mobile accounts for nearly a third of Black Desert franchise's $1 billion sales", Pocket Gamer, April 12, 2019 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Black Desert Online" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Black Desert Online Interview", steparu.com, 19 September 2012; Yamaguchi, "最新グラフィックスで描かれる次世代アクションMMORPG「黒い砂漠（仮）」日本独占ライセンス契約調印式詳報", 4Gamer.net, 8 September 2012; "[G*Star 2012] Black Desert – Preparing to launch next year", MMO Culture, 10 November 2012; Palumbo, "Black Desert Gameplay and Interview", Worlds Factory, 28 August 2013; Guthrie, "Black Desert Gamescom video shows 22 minutes of gameplay", Massively, 27 August 2013 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Black Desert Online" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Lefebvre, "Black Desert starts its first closed beta on October 17th", Massively, 26 September 2013; "Black Desert Closed Beta Day 1: Videos, Screenshots & Updates", MMOsite.com, 17 October 2013; "Black Desert Second Closed Beta Lasts for about Three Weeks", 2p, 20 March 2014; Reahard, "Black Desert ramping up beta testing", Massively, 21 March 2014; "Everything You Need to Know about Black Desert So Far", 2p, 9 March 2014 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Black Desert Online" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Fuller, "Daeil Kim On What Sets Their Game Apart", mmorpg.com, 4 July 2013; "Black Desert Online Interview", steparu.com, 19 September 2012; Im, "[임현석의 두근두근 IT]4800억 원 주식거부 된 김대일 펄어비스 의장", The Dong-A Ilbo, 14 September 2017 }} {{in lang; "Black Desert Online Interview", steparu.com, 19 September 2012; "Black Desert – Interview with developer Pearl Abyss", MMO Culture, 9 March 2013 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Black Desert Online" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Black Desert Online important pre-launch info", Black Desert Online, 24 February 2016 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Black Desert Online" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "[Update: New gameplay trailer] Pearl Abyss will launch Black Desert Mobile globally on Android this year", Android Police, 2019-06-18 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- "Black Desert – Interview with developer Pearl Abyss", MMO Culture, 9 March 2013. facts only, no text reused. mmoculture.com
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Black Desert Online (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
More in Massively Multiplayer Online Role-playing Games
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced