Crimson Desert drops more details about its all-star cast. Find out more about how the voice actors approached their characters here.
Crimson Desert’s Recent Marketing Focuses on Cast
Builds More Hype With Star-Studded Voice Reveals
Crimson Desert puts the spotlight on its cast in a "Meet the Cast" trailer and an interview with Epic Games. Developer Pearl Abyss first announced the voices behind the characters in an X (formerly Twitter) post, featuring actors who were also in Baldur's Gate 3, Cyberpunk 2077, and the League of Legends animated TV series, Arcane.
Embodying the protagonist Kliff is Alec Newman, who lent his voice to Adam Smasher in Cyberpunk 2077 and Cameron "Caz" McLeary in Still Wakes the Deep, with the latter earning him the 2025 BAFTA Games Award for Performer in a Leading Role. Aside from voice acting, he also portrayed Paul Atreides in the 2000s TV miniseries adaptation of Frank Herbert's Dune.
Newman described the leader of the Greymanes as "fiercely loyal" and with "a really strong moral compass." While Kliff may appear stoic and a man of few words, Newman said that his character depth lies in his relationship with the other Greymanes.
To bring Kliff to life, he drew on his Scottish heritage for "a natural skepticism and watchfulness," and on the voice and mannerisms of his wife's stepfather, Graham Fleck, whose lower register "brings an attitude that seemed to work for Kliff."
Fleck died in 2022, only a year after Newman joined the cast of Crimson Desert. "There was danger in his voice, but also enormous warmth and a sense of loyalty," he added, "I hope using his voice as inspiration for Kliff will mean he'll live on somehow."
Performing voice acting for the other two playable characters are Rebecca Hansen as Damiane and Stewart Scudamore as Oongka. Hansen is best known for her work as Alfira in Baldur's Gate 3, Eve in Stellar Blade, and Queen Meve of Lyria in Netflix's TV adaptation of The Witcher.
According to her, Damiane is "very down to earth, a fierce fighter, and headstrong." She said that "it was incredibly cathartic" to channel the character’s sense of justice, especially since it contrasts with the actress' "naturally conflict-avoidant" personality and tendencies as a "people-pleaser."
Lastly, Oongka is voiced by Steward Scudamore, who also played Rictus in Arcane and Boz Ghaidos in the TV series Carnival Row. Although Oongka is an Orc, he veered away from the typical bestial depiction and instead surprised Scudamore with his "world-wise, nomadic" and "philosophical" demeanor, despite primarily communicating through grunts. The actor said it was a challenge "finding those levels of grunts" to breathe life into Oongka's unique characterization.
Beyond the playable trio in Crimson Desert, the other confirmed cast consisted of Peter Bramhill (Thancred in Final Fantasy XIV) as Yann, Emily Barber (Violet Hayward in The Alienist) as Naira, and Alastair Parker (Blackwall in Dragon Age: Inquisition and several characters in The Witcher 3) as Myurdin.
Marketing Director Says He’s Ignoring Demanding Fans
With the cast reveal as the latest update, the Crimson Desert team has rolled out several previews of what the game has to offer since early February, all building toward the game’s March 19 launch. These included a three-part features overview exploring the characters, gameplay, and life in Pywel, as well as interviews with Pearl Abyss America marketing director Will Powers. In those interviews, Powers said that Crimson Desert "is a very hard game to demo," therefore not getting any, and that the campaign accounts for only a "small percentage" of the full content.
However, some fans continued to demand additional details, such as the story and performance, prompting Powers to respond on X (formerly Twitter). "Entitlement is a plague on fandoms," he stated. "I've been incredibly transparent, and will continue to. If I'm not talking about something, it's because there's likely a plan to talk about it later."
Speaking to Destin Legarie, Powers addressed the possibility of expanding the game after release. He emphasized that the launch remains their current focus, but additional content could be explored later "if the appetite is there." It is worth noting that Pearl Abyss has sustained support for their other IP, Black Desert, for the past decade.
Crimson Desert will be available on March 19 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store. For more information about the game, check out our article below.
Sources:
YouTube | Meet the Cast: Kliff, Oongka, and Damiane | Crimson Desert
YouTube | Crimson Desert Breakdown with Will Powers | Dropped Frames 457
YouTube | Crimson Desert Interview. Open World, Single Player Shift, Engine Tech And Player Choice
X/Twitter | Meet the Cast
X/Twitter | Will Powers post
Epic Games | Voice actors discuss what it takes to bring a grand adventure like Crimson Desert to life
