Christofer Sundberg, co-founder of Avalanche Studios, stated that the studio's canceled 2009 game AionGuard featured elements similar to those in Crimson Desert. In a recent PC Gamer interview, Sundberg expressed lasting resentment toward the publisher that ended the project via text message. The open-world fantasy title never progressed beyond low-resolution screenshots after its early announcement.
Avalanche Studios, known for the Just Cause series and 2015's Mad Max, has a history of canceling projects. Christofer Sundberg, who left the Swedish studio in 2019, highlighted AionGuard as the most painful cancellation during a PC Gamer interview promoting his new game Samson from Liquid Swords studio. The game blended World War I, medieval, and fantasy elements for PS3 and Xbox 360 platforms. Sundberg said, “I haven’t played Crimson Desert enough, but we had everything that I’ve seen from Crimson Desert in the plans for that game.” A major publisher with prominent IPs signed the project but shifted focus to established franchises, terminating it abruptly in 2009 with a text message—a move Sundberg vowed never to forgive. As described in a 2009 Kotaku report, players would control a member of the AionGuard, valiant magic knights rebuilding a post-apocalyptic world region by region. Options included direct assaults on enemy strongholds, stealthy supply disruptions, or alliances with local tribes in the open world. Despite repurchasing the rights, Avalanche could not secure new funding, as the game's prior reveal on an EDGE Magazine cover in January 2009 deterred publishers. Only a few low-res screenshots remain from AionGuard.
