Pearl Abyss Confirms Intel Arc Support for Crimson Desert After Massive Backlash

Pearl Abyss’ latest open-world title, Crimson Desert, has been one of the trending titles on the Internet given its recent launch across Xbox consoles, PS5, and PC. The game had mixed early reviews, as PC users are reportedly unhappy with the game. Over on Steam, 40% of all reviews of Crimson Desert are sitting in the negative category.

Crimson Desert removes Intel Arc block, support update now in the works

Last week, reports floated on the Internet suggesting that the game blocks Crimson Desert players using Intel Arc GPUs. The game reportedly refused to start on the specific Intel hardware, and developers suggested that affected players request refunds.

Previously, as an answer to one of the FAQs for the game, “Does Crimson Desert support Intel Arc?” read, “No, Crimson Desert currently does not support Intel Arc graphics cards. If you purchased the game expecting Intel Arc support, please refer to the refund policy of the platform where the game was purchased for available options. We apologize for any inconvenience caused.”

The studio faced a massive backlash last week and over the weekend for the same reason. Now, it seems Pearl Abyss is changing its course and walking back its earlier stance on Intel Arc support for Crimson Desert. The studio has now updated the answer to the same question mentioned above. Now, it reads, “We are currently working on compatibility and optimization support so that Crimson Desert can also be enjoyed on Intel Arc GPU systems. We are preparing to provide a smooth and stable gameplay experience, and we would appreciate your patience until the support update becomes available.”

This suggests that player pressure has worked, with the studio now working to bring support for Intel Arc GPUs, despite the game initially launching without compatibility.

As noted by VideoCardz, Crimson Desert now boots on Intel Arc systems, including Intel Arc B580. However, users also complain of rendering issues, white or blue screens, and general instability once the game gets past the previous hardware block. It appears the update is more of a partial unlock rather than a full fix, which may disappoint some users.

The studio has released a new patch for the game

For now, it looks like Pearl Abyss is taking a gradual approach, focusing on post-launch optimization rather than immediate fixes. Speaking of which, let’s not forget that the studio has already released a major update with gameplay, performance, and UI improvements. Whether this effort leads to a stable experience on Intel Arc GPUs remains to be seen.

Moreover, it is also worth noting that on the day of launch, the game smashed Twitch viewership and saw massive concurrent player numbers on Steam. If you haven’t tried the game on Xbox consoles, we’d recommend taking a look at the performance breakdown of Crimson Desert on Xbox Series X and Series S.