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

When I stepped inside the hallowed halls of Korean dev Pearl Abyss’ purpose-built Seoul complex last November, the promise of PS5 open world action adventure Crimson Desert was obvious but its sheer ambition was still unclear.

Several months later, the benefit of hindsight has put my whistle-stop tour of the studio into perspective: this state-of-the-art contemporary complex is an office befitting of a studio about to breakthrough into the mainstream in a big way.

My tour of the firm’s multi-floor campus came after several days exploring Korea’s capital, a city I’ve always wanted to visit. Having discovered k-pop decades ago – back when it was Brown Eyed Girls, not Huntrix, who were the big names – I’ve long wanted to explore the streets of Hongdae and learn for myself what Gangnam Style actually means.

I found an urban metropolis not-too dissimilar to Tokyo, where the locals' love of iced coffee betrays all common sense considering the plunging temperatures outside.

I quickly settled into the rhythm of late night visits to chains like A Twosome Place and Ediya, and day-time shopping excursions searching for TWICE and AOA records. I think I own every Chaeyoung album cover available at this point, and that’s my only claim to fame.

Pearl Abyss’ headquarters are situated opposite a high school, on an office park not too far from Indeogwon station – about an hour or so from where I was staying in Seoul.

It was cold and autumnal outside so I stopped at Compose Coffee under the shadow of the studio’s statuesque skyscraper, where I ordered a hot drink, because I’m British and not insane. I probably should have known Pearl Abyss would have several barista quality coffee shops inside. No vending machine swill here.

To be honest, staring at the building’s exterior – all glass, reflecting the morning’s clear blue skies – I was taken aback. The complex was clearly marked with the Pearl Abyss logo, but I wasn’t sure if the dev only occupied a couple of floors.

It turns out its 700+ employees fill every floor, I just had seriously underestimated the scale of the studio.

To be honest, it’s remarkable the company has grown to such a size with a single game to its name. Black Desert Online is a major player in the MMO arena, of course, but to see such scale pre-date Crimson Desert and the upcoming DokeV is something I’m still trying to wrap my head around, several months later.

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

On the day I visited, a large piece of Crimson Desert artwork – showing its, at the time, newly announced 19th March release date – adorned the back wall.

As I understand, the foyer is open to fans, and there are various pieces of merchandise and artwork on display. When I visited, three life-size costumes from Crimson Desert were being proudly displayed, fresh from various conventions like Gamescom and Tokyo Game Show.

With a second (hot) coffee consumed and a brief rundown of my itinerary for the day, my tour started in earnest, beginning – surprisingly – with the basement, where staff have access to the company’s own convenience store.

Despite its location, this shop is not actually part of Pearl Abyss, and is operated independently; any locals in the area can use it if they choose. But clearly its enterprise revolves around the employees, and there’s also a small doctor’s surgery and a pharmacy in the same area.

One thing that made a big impression on me is just how convenient the studio makes things for its staff. The lobby floor has a child daycare centre which all workers can use if they’re in need of assistance with their kids, and there’s also an on-site gym which is well-stocked with various machines and weights.

But I was flabbergasted to find a full-size basketball court, an upper-level running track, and a dozen or so table tennis tables all within the complex as well. The basketball court does apparently get used, and it sounds like things can get competitive between staff when there’s a game on.

Other cool novelties I was shown included a virtual driving range, which is apparently a popular lunchtime activity among staff. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to give it a go myself, but I’m confident in saying my skills probably translate better to Hot Shots than this.

Upstairs, I found a kitchen area well supplied with on-demand instant ramen – an essential for all Koreans, as far as I can tell. Ever since my visit, I’ve been asking the powers-that-be at Hookshot Media why we don’t have an endless supply of Pot Noodles, but I think my pleas have been falling on deaf ears.

I was also excited to see a wall of arcade cabinets, mostly running fighting games like Garou: Mark of the Wolves, Samurai Shodown, and Tekken 7: Fated Retribution. There was no one playing while I visited, but apparently things can get lively at times.

Pearl Abyss has a huge internal restaurant, and staff are invited down on a rota to enjoy their meals. Each department is given a different slot, and on the day there were a trio of different set lunches to choose from, including Japanese and Western dishes.

My itinerary involved a visit to the sound department first, but I was promised I’d be coming back later in the day to sample the foods.

There’s also a coffee shop inside the campus which is stacked with various mangas to read. It’s clear that Japanese culture, specifically anime and video games, has had a profound impact on the Korean development scene; I was particularly excited to see the full run of Slam Dunk on the shelves, seeing as I was wearing my Haruko Akagi shirt on the day. I tried to draw attention to it, but no one seemed to care.

Another (hot) coffee and a long chat about the future of NewJeans later – at the time, Danielle hadn’t been expelled from the group and there was still hope of a comeback – and I was invited to explore the audio department.

What I found was largely what I expected: a foley studio stocked with the kind of props you’d expect from a dev creating a medieval fantasy game. As I pointed out, the gravel pits and coconuts all screamed Crimson Desert; the skateboards are apparently being used by DokeV.

The team told me that it acquires props from a variety of different sources, and has built up its collection as development has progressed. From various pots to swords and pieces of armour, it was fascinating to imagine how the sounds being recorded in this room will be in all our ears when the game launches later this month.

With the thump of horse hooves still ringing in my ears, it was back to the aforementioned dining room for a delicious tempura lunch which felt well earned at this point. Yes, I’d spent the majority of my morning drinking coffee and playing in gravel pits, but these things build an appetite, y’know.

The plan for the afternoon was to visit the motion capture studio, a state-of-the-art complex similar in size to a small warehouse.

On the day, a trio of actors were suited up and preparing to start work on some Black Desert Online motion capture. I was fascinated to watch them simulate sword battles and act out idle animations.

It helped me to appreciate the levels of imagination these actors have to use, because it must be difficult to picture yourself in historical Europe when you’re surrounded by Koreans on a garish stage wielding plastic sellotaped props.

It became clear to me that having these facilities on-site, as opposed to in another location, speeds up the rate at which the developer can iterate. While actors aren’t always available, if it needs a specific animation or action, it can capture that relatively quickly.

It’s also important to note that the developer is working within the framework of its own proprietary engine, BlackSpace.

Unfortunately that brought an end to my tour, but it’s only in the months since – as enthusiasm for Crimson Desert has built and built – that I’ve started to really appreciate what I saw.

I was taken aback by the contemporary facilities of the studio, which generally felt like something from the future.

But with Crimson Desert poised to become one of the biggest open world games of the year, it all makes sense now: this is a space befitting of a studio on the precipice of a meteoric release.

When I’m sitting back to relax with Kliff and crew in a few short days, I’ll reflect on the fact I was lucky enough to fleetingly occupy the same space as where this remarkably ambitious release was brought to life.

Thanks to everyone at Pearl Abyss, with specific mention to Roy and JeongYeon who served as my guides on the day. I’m particularly grateful for you indulging in my constant jibber-jabber about Ador and how NewJeans needs to be freed.