Feature: Inside Pearl Abyss, the Ambitious Studio Behind PS5’s Massive Crimson Desert

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Visiting Pearl Abyss’ headquarters in Seoul last November, I got a strong sense of the potential for their upcoming PS5 game, Crimson Desert, but I didn’t fully grasp just how expansive and ambitious the project truly was.

Looking back after a few months, I realize my quick visit to the studio really highlighted how prepared they are for success. The modern office space perfectly reflects a company on the verge of becoming a major player.

After spending several days in Seoul, a city I’d always dreamed of visiting, I got to tour the company’s offices. I first discovered K-pop years ago, when groups like Brown Eyed Girls were popular, and I’ve wanted to experience the culture firsthand ever since – to walk the streets of Hongdae and understand what all the fuss about ‘Gangnam Style’ was about.

I discovered a city remarkably like Tokyo, and it was surprising to see how much the people loved iced coffee, especially given how cold it was outside.

I soon fell into a routine of late-night coffee runs to places like A Twosome Place and Ediya, and spending my days searching for records by TWICE and AOA. I’m pretty sure I have every Chaeyoung album cover out there, and honestly, that’s what I’m most proud of.

Pearl Abyss’ offices are located in an office park near Indeogwon station, roughly an hour’s travel from where I stayed in Seoul. They’re right across the street from a high school.

The weather was chilly and reminded me of fall, so I ducked into Compose Coffee, a café near the studio’s tall building. I ordered something hot – being British, I have standards! I really shouldn’t have been surprised to find that Pearl Abyss had several high-quality coffee shops inside; definitely no basic vending machine coffee here.

I was surprised when I first saw the building. It was entirely glass, reflecting the bright blue morning sky, and clearly displayed the Pearl Abyss logo. I wasn’t sure if Pearl Abyss occupied the entire building, or just a few floors.

I was surprised to learn the studio has over 700 employees and occupies the entire building – I hadn’t realized how large it was.

It’s really impressive how large this company has become, considering they’ve only had one game – Black Desert Online – for so long. Black Desert Online is a significant MMO, but it’s still surprising to me, even after months, that they’ve reached this scale before their new games, Crimson Desert and DokeV, are even released.

The lobby is a cavernous space, blocked off by security gates and a reception area.

When I visited, a large artwork from Crimson Desert was displayed on the back wall, prominently featuring the game’s recently revealed release date of March 19th.

The entrance area is open to the public and features displays of merchandise and artwork. During my visit, I saw three full-sized costumes from the game Crimson Desert, which had just come from events like Gamescom and Tokyo Game Show.

After finishing a second cup of coffee and quickly reviewing my plans for the day, my tour officially began. Surprisingly, it started in the basement, which houses a convenience store for employees.

Although the shop is located near Pearl Abyss, it’s a separate, independently run business open to everyone in the community. The focus is on supporting its employees, and there’s also a doctor’s office and a pharmacy conveniently located nearby.

I was really impressed by how much the studio cares for its employees. They offer a convenient on-site daycare for anyone who needs help with childcare, and there’s also a fully equipped gym for staff to use.

I was really surprised to discover a full basketball court, an indoor running track, and around a dozen table tennis tables all inside the building. People actually use the basketball court, and I heard things get pretty competitive when staff play games.

They also showed me this really fun virtual driving range – I heard a lot of the employees use it during their lunch breaks! I didn’t get a chance to try it out myself, but honestly, I think I’m better suited to the arcade game ‘Hot Shots’ than actual golf.

I discovered a kitchen upstairs stocked with instant ramen, which seems to be a Korean staple. Since then, I’ve been jokingly asking everyone at Hookshot Media why we don’t have a constant supply of instant noodles like Pot Noodles, but it doesn’t seem like anyone is taking me seriously.

I was really happy to find a whole row of arcade machines, most of which were set up for fighting games like Garou: Mark of the Wolves, Samurai Shodown, and Tekken 7. Nobody was playing when I was there, but I heard it can get pretty busy.

Pearl Abyss has a large in-house restaurant where employees can eat on a scheduled basis. Different departments have assigned days, and when this particular group visited, they had a choice of three set lunches – including both Japanese and Western options.

I started my tour with the sound department, and they told me I’d be able to try the food later on.

The campus has a coffee shop filled with manga to read. It’s obvious that Japanese culture, especially anime and video games, has greatly influenced Korean game development. I was thrilled to see the complete collection of Slam Dunk there – I even happened to be wearing a Haruko Akagi shirt that day! I tried to point it out, but nobody seemed to notice.

I was catching up with someone over coffee, and we were excitedly talking about what the future held for NewJeans. This was before the drama, when Danielle was still with the group and we were all hoping for a comeback. Anyway, they invited me to check out the audio department after our chat!

The studio was pretty much what I anticipated – filled with props you’d expect for a medieval fantasy game. Like I mentioned, the gravel and coconuts clearly indicated they were working on Crimson Desert, and it turns out the skateboards are for the game DokeV.

The team explained they gather props from many places, and their collection has grown as the game was being made. Seeing everything from simple pots to swords and armor was amazing, and it really made me think about how we’ll all be hearing these sounds when the game comes out later this month.

The sound of horses’ hooves still fresh in my mind, I headed back to the dining room for a wonderfully satisfying tempura lunch. It felt well-deserved after a morning that involved a lot of coffee and, surprisingly, playing around in gravel pits – but all that activity definitely worked up an appetite!

This afternoon, we were scheduled to go to a motion capture studio – a really high-tech facility about the size of a small warehouse.

A group of three actors were getting ready to do motion capture for Black Desert Online. It was really interesting to watch them act out sword fights and everyday movements for the game.

It made me realize how much creativity these actors need. It must be challenging to convincingly portray historical European characters while performing on a brightly decorated stage with Korean crew and obviously fake props.

I realized that keeping these resources close by—on the same site—helps developers work much faster. Even if the performers aren’t immediately available, we can quickly capture any specific movements or animations we need.

It’s worth mentioning that the developer is building this using their own unique technology, called BlackSpace.

My visit ended there, but it wasn’t until recently, with all the growing excitement around Crimson Desert, that I truly understood how impressive it was.

I was really surprised by how modern the studio was – it felt incredibly futuristic.

With Crimson Desert expected to be a massive open-world game this year, it’s clear why Pearl Abyss is making such a significant investment in its studio space – they’re preparing for a huge launch.

In a few days, when I get to relax with Kliff and the team, I’ll think about how fortunate I was to witness the creation of this incredibly impressive project firsthand.

I want to thank everyone at Pearl Abyss, especially Roy and JeongYeon, who were incredibly helpful during my visit. I really appreciate them putting up with my endless chatter about Ador and my strong belief that NewJeans deserves more freedom.

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2026-03-15 19:38