Pearl Abyss has explained why it decided against using Unreal Engine 5 for Crimson Desert, choosing instead to develop the game with its proprietary BlackSpace Engine. According to Lead Engineer Jin-hwan Kim and Senior Leader of the Game Engine Graphics Division Jin-ho Yoon, the decision was driven by the studio’s desire to retain control over its core technology and development process. While commercial engines such as Unreal Engine offer a wide range of practical features, the developers said relying on external technology could have conflicted with Pearl Abyss’s development approach and its requirements for the project.
The developers explained that Pearl Abyss already had experience developing its own technology through the Black Desert engine, making a switch to a commercial engine less appealing. They said that with an external engine, the studio could have been required to wait for future updates before receiving features needed for its projects. By maintaining its own technology stack, Pearl Abyss could instead make changes internally and avoid depending on another company’s development schedule. The studio believes this approach also contributed to its ability to deliver patches and updates for Crimson Desert at a faster pace following launch.
BlackSpace was also designed to address limitations Pearl Abyss encountered with the engine built specifically for Black Desert. That earlier technology became highly specialized around the requirements of an MMO, making it difficult to use for games in different genres. According to the developers, flexibility was therefore a major consideration when creating BlackSpace. The new engine was designed to support different types of game worlds and multiple platforms, with the developers saying it could potentially be used for future first-person or third-person shooter projects as well as other genres.
Pearl Abyss has previously showcased several technologies supported by BlackSpace, including GPU-based cloth and hair simulation, real-time ray tracing, atmospheric scattering, volumetric fog with fluid simulation and water-flow systems. The company has said the engine was developed specifically to bring the world of Crimson Desert to life while supporting its technical requirements. The decision to continue with an in-house engine gives Pearl Abyss direct control over these systems and future improvements, although it also means the studio remains responsible for maintaining and developing the underlying technology alongside its games.
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