Key Takeaways
1. Release and Player Response: Crimson Desert was released on March 19 and quickly attracted hundreds of thousands of players on Steam.
2. Incompatibility with Intel Arc GPUs: Players using Intel’s Arc graphics cards were unable to play the game due to lack of support, leading to disappointment.
3. Refund Recommendations: Pearl Abyss advised Intel Arc users to seek refunds for the game purchase after confirming the incompatibility.
4. Communication Issues: The compatibility problem was not disclosed before the game’s launch, leaving players frustrated and unprepared.
5. Growing Intel Arc Popularity: Despite initial driver issues, Intel’s Arc GPUs have been improving and gaining popularity, yet still lack support for this particular game.
Crimson Desert was released on March 19 and attracted hundreds of thousands of players on Steam. Yet, players with older graphics processing units (GPUs) faced an unpleasant surprise. Specifically, those using Intel’s Arc graphics cards found themselves unable to play the game since it does not offer support for these GPUs. In a surprising twist, Pearl Abyss, the game’s developer, is even advising Intel Arc users to seek refunds for their purchases.
Intel Arc’s Growing Popularity
Intel’s Arc series of dedicated gaming GPUs has been gradually gaining traction since it launched in 2022. Although the initial release faced difficulties due to driver problems, the newer Intel graphics cards, particularly the Arc B580, have been showing improvement. They can provide a decent gaming experience at native 1080p and 1440p resolutions, featuring 12 GB of GDDR6 memory, 20 Xe cores, and 20 ray tracing units.
Incompatibility Issues Persist
Despite the impressive specs of Intel Arc GPUs, they are not compatible with Crimson Desert. Pearl Abyss confirmed this incompatibility shortly after the game’s release in their official FAQ, stating:
“No, Crimson Desert currently does not support Intel Arc graphics cards. If you purchased the game expecting Intel Arc support, please refer to the platform’s refund policy for available options. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.”
Currently, there is no word from the studio on potential updates or a schedule for when Intel Arc graphics cards might be supported in the future. Attempting to start Crimson Desert with an Intel Arc card simply results in an error message: “The graphics device is currently not supported.”
Frustration Over Communication
What adds to the frustration is the fact that Pearl Abyss did not mention this compatibility issue before the game’s launch. They had provided detailed, specification-heavy PC requirements and discussed the game’s optimization efforts, yet the Intel Arc GPU problem was not highlighted.
Although general PC specifications were disclosed just a week prior to the game’s launch, the Intel-specific FAQ was only updated after the game was already available. This left many players feeling disappointed and caught off guard, as they had anticipated wider hardware compatibility.
On the Intel Arc subreddit, one user suggested that the lack of information seemed intentional, stating, “The studio seems pretty adamant about wanting their game to perform well on all kinds of hardware configurations. They literally posted configurations and requirements for the ROG Ally. The fact that they’re releasing Crimson Desert on macOS also confirms this. I’m very disappointed, and I was looking forward to playing.”
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