Alec Newman, the voice actor for Crimson Desert protagonist Kliff, described a five-year recording process marked by frequent changes and lack of direction. In a recent podcast interview, he recounted pushing developers to better define the character's story. The open-world RPG from Pearl Abyss has sold 3 million copies despite reported development challenges.
Alec Newman shared his experiences voicing Kliff in Pearl Abyss's Crimson Desert during the Friends Per Second podcast on March 29. The process spanned five years with periods of low and high intensity, he said. Nearly two years in, developers told him they were starting to record 'in earnest,' prompting Newman to respond, 'what the hell do you mean? We've been doing this for ages!' For the first year and a half, it felt like just a demo, he added. Kliff's name was originally MacDuff, and his backstory remained in flux throughout. Newman frequently asked, 'Yes, but what is happening?' as developers provided 'cards of the different parts of Pywel' without a clear plot direction. They kept 'changing the goalpost,' he noted. About two and a half years in, the team emphasized the Greymanes faction and Kliff's family ties, which form the story's backbone. Newman pushed for more, saying, 'Well, he does [care about his comrades], but you haven’t written that monologue.' The game has succeeded commercially with 3 million copies sold and ongoing patches, though its narrative was called 'fatally undercooked' in a Eurogamer review. Anonymous sources have reported the story wasn't finalized until near release amid internal power struggles. Newman, a BAFTA winner for Still Wakes the Deep and known for Cyberpunk 2077, called it 'very different' from other projects. He stressed the challenge: 'it's very, very hard to play 150 hours with somebody who doesn't give anything away ever.'