Did IGN Really Give *Crimson Desert* Only 6 Points? This Time Players Are Truly Baffled

110 hours in, and the game hasn’t even been fully completed yet, but IGN has already slapped a provisional 6/10 on Crimson Desert. The moment that happened, the overseas player community basically exploded. For someone like me, who usually clears every side quest, encyclopedia entry, and hidden element, this kind of review timing feels very awkward in itself—like declaring what the ending means before even finishing the final dungeon in a JRPG.

Let’s start with the facts. The global media review embargo for Crimson Desert was recently lifted. Metacritic currently lists nearly 100 outlets, with a composite average score of 78. That number isn’t exactly “masterpiece” territory, but it’s definitely not in “disaster” range either. More importantly, the reception is highly divided: some high-scoring outlets have gone as far as 9.5, while mainstream reviews are mostly clustered around the 8-point range, showing a very clear trend of polarization overall.

The issue lies with IGN. Its provisional 6/10 has become almost one of the lowest scores across the board, and it sits noticeably below the overall scoring curve, so player skepticism immediately surged. The article even mentions that this 6 is lower than the scores previously given to the poorly received Concord and Peak Guardian, which makes it feel even more jarring. Unfortunately, it’s not the kind of jarring that sparks discussion about a game’s strengths and weaknesses—it’s the kind that makes people ask, “Where exactly did this score come from?”

As for the combat system, the current mainstream positive consensus is actually quite clear: media outlets generally recognize Crimson Desert for its open-world scale, visual presentation, and combat system. These three just happen to be the core areas where open-world games are most likely to differentiate themselves. In other words, this is at least not a “below-average” game. It feels more like the kind of title with very obvious strengths and equally obvious points of contention—like certain entries in the Final Fantasy series with especially strong stylistic identities. People who are into that sort of thing will be completely hooked, while those who aren’t will probably frown.

What has further intensified the controversy is that some netizens discovered the IGN editor who reviewed Crimson Desert this time is the same one who previously reviewed Concord. To be clear, this only shows that player suspicion toward the objectivity of the score is increasing; it does not directly prove that there is anything wrong with the review itself. But in the context of social media, information like this is like a hidden notification suddenly lighting up in a collection system—it instantly pushes the discussion to another level.

As for the player community, the most popular meme has already emerged: some people are joking that “you have to read IGN scores in reverse—6 points ≈ an actual 9-point game.” Of course, that’s an emotional reaction, but it also says one thing clearly: when a single outlet’s score deviates sharply from the overall media average, players’ first instinct is usually not to trust that outlet as more professional, but to suspect that it is more distorted. On top of that, IGN recently updated 1348: The Holy Vow to 4 points, so public discussion around its scoring standards has naturally been reignited as well.

To wrap up with some practical advice: Crimson Desert is set to launch officially on 3月20日. For now, the safest conclusion is to view it as an open-world game with sharply divided media reception, but by no means a low-quality one. If you already enjoy large-scale world exploration and care a lot about visuals and action combat, then it’s still well worth keeping an eye on. If, on the other hand, you place a lot of importance on unified launch reception and prefer to wait until “the media are all singing its praises” before buying, then it’s probably best to hold off for more hands-on player feedback and IGN’s final updated score. After all, whether a game is truly good or not is never decided by a single provisional report card.