Cancelled AionGuard, Sundberg says, could have resembled Crimson Desert

Christopher Sundberg, Avalanche co-founder and former creative director, talked about the cancelled 2000s fantasy game AionGuard. It already had dragon flight, freezing and breaking ice, and turning into huge creatures such as golems. If it had been finished, he says, it could have looked and played almost like Crimson Desert.

The inspiration was The Lord of the Rings, especially Helm’s Deep. A publisher was found and then refused in a single message. A new one was not found. The team moved to the more linear steampunk game Arcadia Rising, and that was closed because of publisher THQ’s money.

Sundberg still thinks Arcadia Rising deserved to ship. The comparison with Crimson Desert is his reading of an unreleased project, not a Pearl Abyss statement.