Alec Newman, the actor portraying Crimson Desert's protagonist Kliff, has opened up about his extensive work on the game, revealing significant story and character transformations during its lengthy development.
Speaking on Skill Up's Friends Per Second Podcast (via twiv), Newman—who has previously voiced characters like Cameron "Caz" McLeary in Still Wakes the Deep and Adam Smasher in Cyberpunk 2077—shared that he spent five years recording "various iterations of this character at various stages of development." For the initial year-and-a-half, Crimson Desert existed merely as a demo in his understanding. It wasn't until nearly two years into recording that he learned serious work was beginning, prompting his reaction: "What the hell do you mean? We've been doing this for ages!"
This aligns with Crimson Desert's known development journey, which started as an MMORPG prequel to Pearl Abyss's Black Desert Online before evolving into a single-player open-world action RPG with a gradually sharpening narrative.
Newman described the process as "interesting," noting that while he hesitated to say they "kept changing the goalpost," early recording sessions involved cards detailing parts of Pywel, various characters, and factions. He recalled repeatedly asking, "Yes, but what is happening?"
Interestingly, Kliff was originally named Macduff for a substantial portion of the recording. Once Pearl Abyss finalized the name Kliff, Newman began advocating strongly for story and character depth. "I felt the pressure of a certain type of developer with a certain type of game," he admitted, adding that he's glad he pushed for these elements. He observed that while players appreciate the voice acting and characterization, the game's major appeal lies in its vast open world and quirky features like being able to pick up a cat—a focus he attributes to the developers' shifting preferences and scripts.
Newman highlighted a pivotal "bridge point" in development where the team realized Kliff's stoic nature needed more emotional depth. "After a while, there's only so far you can go with him being... not flat, but kind of stoic," he explained. As a Scotsman familiar with such traits, he noted the challenge of portraying a character who "doesn't give anything away ever" over 150 hours. He found it rewarding that players spending over 100 hours with the game have discovered more emotional layers in Kliff.
Specifically, after about two and a half years, the developers emphasized the Greymanes storyline, focusing on themes of family and reconciliation, which Newman identifies as the game's core narrative thread. "I don't want to say they started panicking, but they were like, 'Oh yeah, we really want this. We really want Kliff to care about his comrades,'" he recalled. In response, Newman pointed out that while Kliff does care, the necessary monologues were missing, leading to gradual integration of such elements and attempts to inject humor where possible, though he admits these moments were "fewer than they could have been."
These insights resonate with players who have criticized Crimson Desert's story. While some enjoy it as a sandbox experience, many feel the plot, storyline, and characters fall short, with Kliff often cited as lacking personality. Last week, Pearl Abyss CEO Heo Jin-young acknowledged this, stating, "I sympathize to some extent with the disappointment users feel regarding the story... The production team tried to make up for the shortcomings in the remaining time, but ultimately, we focused on strengthening the gameplay, which is what we do best."
Despite these critiques, Crimson Desert has become a massive success, selling 3 million copies. Newman is optimistic about players' evolving perceptions of Kliff as they invest more time in the game. "My hope for the game is—it seems to be happening—as people spend more time with Kliff and in the world, they kind of live in that level of his existence," he said, noting feedback from players who initially felt confused but became deeply engaged after hundreds of hours.
For those diving into Crimson Desert's expansive world, check out our guides on Things to Do First, Things Crimson Desert Doesn't Tell You (with 28 tips and counting), Best Early Weapons, Best Skills to Get First (including a skills system explainer), and 34 Essential Tips and Tricks for success in Pywel.
