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Crimson Desert is one of the most highly anticipated games not named GTA 6, and its newest gameplay demo appears to feature a fan-favorite Baldur’s Gate 3 star. Crimson Desert was originally touted for fall 2025, but it got delayed to March 20th. It’s from Pearl Abyss, the developers of the popular Black Desert Online, and it’s everything amazing about the MMO packed into an open-world RPG single-player epic. A new gameplay demo impresses just as much as the rest, but this time it appears to feature a fan-favorite from Baldur’s Gate 3.
Crimson Desert gameplay demo appears to include Baldur’s Gate 3 star
IGN uploaded a new gameplay demo for Crimson Desert based on a quest called Golden Star. The video is just under 10-minutes, and it shows a lot of bombastic action. As with every other gameplay video so far, the graphics are stunning and the gameplay looks incredible.
However, away from the slick action, it introduces us to a character named Marni. Although unconfirmed, it seems this mysterious individual is voiced by Neil Newbon, famous for playing Astarion in Baldur’s Gate 3 as well as Heisenburg in Resident Evil Village.
Neil Newbon isn’t confirmed as Marni, but the voice sounds almost identical to their stand-out performance as Astarion. In the clip, Marni basically gives players the task of finding the Golden Star’s power core, describing it as a “weapon that can rival the fortress itself”.
We don’t know anything about Marni and how much of a role they play in Crimson Desert, but, if they are voiced by Neil Newbon, hopefully their role is significant so that we hear more of their voice.
Neil Newbon is most famous for playing Astarion, and he has revealed that the Baldur’s Gate 3 role has changed how he acts in real life. Newbon won best performance at The Game Awards 2023 for their outstanding role as the BG3 vampire, and they have called for heavy AI regulations in the video games industry so that publishers don’t replace talent with machines
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