Black Desert Online Developers Talk Mobile Game, Second Awakenings

With Black Desert Online's region-free Taiwanese version launching on January 25th, two Pearl Abyss employees sat down to discuss the future of the game at Taipei Game Show 2017. Taiwanese gaming media site GameBase conducted an interview with the employees, during which they discussed the mobile game, the possibility of "Second Awakenings," future content, the fact that funding has been the most consistent difficulty when developing the game, and more.

The interview's notable points are as follows.

• A significant amount of content for the mobile game, which was announced last year, is said to have been completed. The mobile game is also said to be a very different game from that of the PC game, which is to be expected.
• PlayStation 4 and Xbox One ports of Black Desert Online are in the works. They may or may not be cross-platform.
• There is a possibility that a "Second Awakening" will be introduced in order to help with balancing the game for players that have yet to reach their Awakening.
• The development team is working on various Life Skill improvements, including linking the second Awakening and Life Skills through a new layer of life skills.
• The team is also trying to turn Labor Points into a trading resource.
• There are plans to expand the map above and below, such as into underground caverns or maps above mountains. A specific mountain locale high in the mountains is being considered, as well.
• The graphics may get "remastered," bringing them up to today's standards, as the game originally launched in 2013. They are working with the company that developed the Yebis engine to make this possible.
• The team does not have a particular love for cats. They simply made it so that the in-game cats portray the "natural characteristics" of real cats.

You can find the full interview here.

Thanks to PockyOkie for help with translations.