Crimson Desert dev Pearl Abyss apologizes after AI art slips into final game release

Crimson Desert dev apologizes for use of AI art

Reviews of Crimson Desert have been mixed, but the bigger issue for the game has been the discovery of what appeared to be AI-generated assets in the final release. Now the developer has acknowledged that AI art was indeed used during the game's creation, but says that it was intended to be replaced before release. In a statement on X, the company said it was conducting a "comprehensive audit" to identify and replace any AI-generated content. The company apologized for both its inclusion in the final release and for not being more transparent about its use during development. "We should have clearly disclosed our use of AI," it said. The use of generative AI in gaming has become a hot-button issue of the last couple of years as it's made its way into several high-profile titles. While some large studios have embraced it, many smaller developers have revolted against the trend, proudly proclaiming their games to be "AI free."

Crimson Desert admits it used generative AI for "early-stage iteration" and apologises AI images were not replaced before release

Crimson Desert developer Pearl Abyss has responded to claims its latest game used AI to generate images, admitting "2D visual props were created as part of early-stage iteration using experimental AI generative tools", but claims it had always intended to replace them before release. We reported signs of AI-generated art and AI-generated translation in Crimson Desert yesterday after a crop of dubious in-game images popped up on social media, leading some fans to call it "the final nail in the coffin" for the beleaguered game. Now, in a statement, the studio "sincerely apologise[d] for these oversights". "During development, some 2D visual props were created as part of early-stage iteration using experimental AI generative tools," the company said via social media. "These assets helped us rapidly explore tone and atmosphere in the earlier phases of production. However, our intention has always been for any such assets to be replaced, following final work and review by our art and development teams, with work that aligned with our quality standards and creative direction. The statement continued: "Following reports from our community, we have identified that some of these assets were unintentionally included in the final release. This is not in line with our internal standards, and we take full responsibility for it. "We also acknowledge that we should have clearly disclosed our use of AI. While these tools were primarily used during early production, with the expectation that these assets would be replaced prior to release, we recognise that this does not excuse the lack of transparency. We sincerely apologise for these oversights." The studio now says it is "conducting a comprehensive audit of all in-game assets and are taking steps to replace any affected content". Updated assets will be rolled out in "upcoming patches" as it also reviews and strengthens its "internal processes to ensure greater transparency and consistency in how we communicate with players moving forward". The statement did not address claims Pearl Abyss also used AI to generate its language translations, but Crimson Desert's Steam listing has been updated to now accurately disclosure the game was developed using "AI generated content". Pearl Abyss' Crimson Desert launch woes continue, with a slew of technical challenges across platforms and storefronts, resulting in frustrating delays for some players and outright unplayability for others. Meantime, Intel has now provided a statement to Eurogamer, following revelations that Crimson Desert does not support Intel Arc Graphics Cards, writing: "We're aware that Crimson Desert currently doesn't launch on systems with Intel GPUs and we're hugely disappointed that players using Intel graphics hardware can't jump into the world of Pywel at launch. "Our teams are deeply committed to helping all studios deliver the best experience possible, providing open tools, documentation, and direct engineering support to make sure their games run well for everyone, including the tens of millions of players using Intel GPUs. We remain ready to assist Pearl Abyss however we can."

Crimson Desert team apologizes after players find AI art in the game: 'Our intention has always been for any such assets to be replaced'

"We also acknowledge that we should have clearly disclosed our use of AI." AI has been involved in its fair share of oopsies at this point, and Crimson Desert is the latest to take the hit. As reported by IGN, many players have taken to Reddit to point out likely AI-generated assets since the game's release, and today developer Pearl Abyss shared a statement on X responding to the accusations. "During development, some 2D visual props were created as part of early-stage iteration using experimental AI generative tools. These assets helped us rapidly explore tone and atmosphere in the earlier phases of production," Pearl Abyss claimed. "However, our intention has always been for any such assets to be replaced, following final work and review by our art and development teams, with work that aligned with our quality standards and creative direction." The post continues that "reports from our community" alerted the team to assets that weren't meant to stay in the final game and "not in line with our internal standards." If you're getting some deja vu, both the latest Anno game and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 caught similar flak when players spotted AI-generated art in the games⁠. . Both Ubisoft and Sandfall offered a similar explanation to Pearl Abyss: Development placeholder, explore tone and atmosphere, not in line with our standards, etc. Divinity and Baldur's Gate studio Larian has defended and subsequently sworn off its use of generative AI for early concepts, and it's clear that there's a growing hunger for proper disclosure wherever AI may be in use. "We should have clearly disclosed our use of AI," Pearl Abyss said. "While these tools were primarily used during early production, with the expectation that these assets would be replaced prior to release, we recognize that this does not excuse the lack of transparency. We sincerely apologize for these oversights." The team is "currently conducting a comprehensive audit of all in-game assets" and the plan is to replace any AI art in upcoming patches.

Crimson Desert's in-game art work shows telltale signs of AI courtesy of missing fingers and human bodies melting into horses

Fans believe they've spotted signs of AI-generated art and AI-generated translation in Crimson Desert. Pearl Abyss' Crimson Desert launch woes continue, with a slew of technical challenges across platforms and storefronts, resulting in frustrating delays for some players and outright unplayability for others. And now a crop of dubious in-game images has popped up on social media, too, leading some fans to call it "the final nail in the coffin". While some of the exhibits could be charitably chalked up to simply being rushed or placeholder images, players have discovered that a number of the art assets look as though they've been generated by AI, such as pictures of missing fingers and anatomically questionable paintings in which human bodies melt into horses. That's a little guy. They're putting straw into a little guy and some freak is painting it. [image or embed] -- Cameron Kennedy ( @cameronken.com) March 20, 2026 at 7:41 PM Others have noticed that in-game artwork is recycled and reused over and over again, even on the same floor of the same room, with one player writing: "I get that it's low on the priority list, but seeing copy-pasted assets everywhere is a total immersion breaker. Just rotating the same item doesn't hide how fake the world feels". Not everyone is worried about it, though. "I'll take AI images over microtransactions any day of the week," posited one player. Others playing in their native language believe they've seen signs that the game's translation was handled similarly by AI rather than a professional translation team, and even some elements of the script and dialogue, too. I believe they used AI for the German translation of the game by u/retr0_n0stalgia in CrimsonDesert "The sort of comparative 'It's not just x, its y' thing ChatGPT does," suggested someone else. "The writing just feels a bit lacklustre or like random NPCs are trying to be too deep or verbose for absolutely no reason. (More so when it's the first contact I have with them.)." Meantime, Intel has now provided a statement to Eurogamer, following revelations that Crimson Desert does not support Intel Arc Graphics Cards, writing: "We're aware that Crimson Desert currently doesn't launch on systems with Intel GPUs and we're hugely disappointed that players using Intel graphics hardware can't jump into the world of Pywel at launch. "Our teams are deeply committed to helping all studios deliver the best experience possible, providing open tools, documentation, and direct engineering support to make sure their games run well for everyone, including the tens of millions of players using Intel GPUs. We remain ready to assist Pearl Abyss however we can."

Crimson Desert Dev Breaks Silence Admitting AI Art Was Used

Developers Pearl Abyss apologize for their inclusion and promises to replace its slop with new art. The Korean open world fantasy game Crimson Desert has had an incredibly successful launch, though not without its share of slip ups. The game’s extremely high fidelity and impressive graphics are a big part of the sale’s pitch, which made it all the more disappointing when players began to come across what appeared to be AI-generated artwork littered throughout the game. In light of the disappointment, developers Pearl Abyss have apologized for including the slop in their game, promising to remove and replace all of it. “We also acknowledge that we should have clearly disclosed our use of AI,†the Crimson Desert account posted. “We are currently conducting a comprehensive audit of all in-game assets and are taking steps to replace any affected content. Updated assets will be rolled out in upcoming patches. In parallel, we are reviewing and strengthening our internal processes to ensure greater transparency and consistency in how we communicate with players moving forward.†In the days following the game’s release, players quickly came across art that resembled AI generated images of years gone by. Smudged faces, sleep paralysis demon anatomy, horse people and repeating hook-nosed antisemitic stereotypes. It all pointed towards Pearl Abyss using AI to generate fill-in assets during development, which the developer confirmed in their apology. “During development, some 2D visual props were created as part of early-stage iteration using experimental AI generative tools,†wrote the official account. “These assets helped us rapidly explore tone and atmosphere in the earlier phases of production. However, our intention has always been for any such assets to be replaced, following final work and review by our art and development teams, with work that aligned with our quality standards and creative direction.†The practice is becoming more common in AAA developer spaces, but critics argue that everything else aside from using AI in your game, it’s pretty foolish to use temporary assets that attempt to pass as the real thing. In games of such massive scale, BRAT green blocks that scream “DO NOT USE†are much easier to flag than something approximating the final product. It’s not the first criticism Pearl Abyss has been quick to address. Only days ago, the developer promised to patch their wonky control scheme.

Crimson Desert Players Debate If The Game Secretly Uses AI Art

One painting shows off a terrifying convention of weird-looking centaurs Between players criticizing convoluted controls, investors dumping the developer’s stock, and reviewers sharing mixed opinions, the colossally hyped action-adventure game Crimson Desert has had a rollercoaster ride of a launch week. Now, players are adding to the mix by debating whether Pearl Abyss’ latest release incorporates AI-generated art. Since Crimson Desert came out on Thursday, several players have shared screenshots of in-game art they suspect to be AI-generated. One in-game painting, shared by Lex Luddy on Bluesky, looks so absurd it’s hard to believe it wasn’t sloppified. It looks like it’s supposed to depict some kind of historical battle, but scrutinize it for an extra moment or two and you see a mosh pit of centaurs and other strange half-man half-horse abominations holding up spears. The people on the ground next to them seem to morph into rocks, too. (This painting is also displayed in the most ornate gold frame I’ve ever seen. That horrific art is not worthy of such a nice frame!) Players have debated whether some other in-game paintings were created by AI as well, such as this woodcut painting shared by Reddit user Ok-Error-403. “Been playing for 6 hours now and honestly am loving the game, but damn is it really disappointing to see Pearl Abyss use AI art every now and then throughout the world,†they wrote. However, plenty of other players have responded to say they disagree and don’t believe this particular painting was made by AI. Whether these paintings are just placeholder art accidentally left in for release, a poor attempt at getting away with AI art, or just wonky for some other non-AI-related reason is unclear. Crimson Desert is an overwhelmingly big game with a sprawling world and tons of details and systems sprinkled throughout it. Poor in-game paintings could just be the result of sloppy quality control. Since early 2024, Steam has required publishers to disclose generative AI use on their games’ store pages. If Crimson Desert really does use generative AI art, even accidentally, developer/publisher Pearl Abyss is breaking a pretty big rule here. It’s unlikely that Crimson Desert will get in any sort of serious trouble with Valve (after all, the game did just sell two million copies in a single day), but it might have to add a disclosure notice after the fact or quickly patch out the offending examples. Either way, I’m sure there will be plenty of unhappy players, including me, who’re now dreading running into these images as we make our way further into the game’s world of Pywel. Pearl Abyss did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Crimson Desert Players Discover Suspiciously Odd "AI-Generated" Art Assets

Pearl Abyss is yet to make a statement on the AI art accusations by the community. Crimson Desert has had a mixed launch so far. Although the game has sold 2 million already and is seeing a healthy player count on all platforms, it has not been exempt from criticism, which has been due to the complex controls of the game and some issues with bugs and performance. Still, the game has been doing much better in comparison, but new info may bring its success to a halt. Many gamers have started pointing out weirdly created art pieces in Crimson Desert that the community has dubbed 'too weird to not be AI'. So, is Crimson Desert using AI art pieces in the game or not? Find out here. Two users, Rex_Spy and Due-Perspective9206, have taken to Reddit, posting two art pieces from Crimson Desert, calling them the work of generative AI. One of the art pieces shows horses with five legs, while another shows two generic knights clashing their swords. Both of the art pieces reek of AI influence, but it is much clearer in the image shared by Rex_Spy. The art appears convoluted and mixes humans and horses together, while also showing horses with more than four legs. Although Pearl Abyss has not made any comments about the game so far, the community is expecting a response soon. Using AI assets has always been a major red flag in the gaming industry, and even critically acclaimed games like Baldur's Gate 3 and Clair Obscur Expedition 33 couldn't fully escape criticism for using AI in some preliminary development. Whether Pearl Abyss can escape criticism remains to be seen. They will definitely be pressured more in the coming days, and we can expect a response from them soon. In our opinion, the art pieces do look AI-generated, and that does raise concern about what other assets in the game have been made with AI in Crimson Desert. So, what's your thought on Crimson Desert's speculated AI-generated art assets in the game? Let us know in the comments below.

Does the Crimson Desert AI art controversy matter?

On the face of it, the launch of Pearl Abyss's Crimson Desert this week has been a big success. The ambitious, single-player open-world action-adventure game sold over 2 million copies within a day of release, and the reviews on Steam are mainly positive. Critics have also generally received the game with enthusiasm, praising the combat and the breadth of the game's world. Alas, the launch has been now overshadowed by accusations around undeclared use of generative AI. For now, I've seen no suggestions that core elements were made with AI, but quite a number of examples have been found of odd-looking in-game art that bears the hallmarks of AI image generation. Does that matter? For some players, it does. Found this AI Painting. from r/CrimsonDesert The fact that Crimson Desert has been received so positively makes the accusations of AI art all the more disappointing for many. Suspect in-game images flagged up on social media include a painting of soldiers with nonsensical merged weaponry and a painting that appears to feature a deformed, mutant horse with extra limbs. I found this in game piece of artwork. Is this AI generated? from r/CrimsonDesert I found this in game piece of artwork. Is this AI generated? from r/CrimsonDesert That's AI or am I crazy? from r/CrimsonDesert Some players have dismissed the complaints, seeing this background art as a minor part of the game that doesn't detract from such a dense and extensive world as Crimson Desert's. But many disagree that the issue that can be ignored. The kinds of artifacts that people are spotting resemble fairly basic generative AI flaws, so some players are taken aback that they could make it into the game without any attempt to touch them up. For some, that raises questions about the game's overall credibility. With a reported budget of over $130m, surely developers didn't need to resort to AI. "Please do something about the AI paintings. It takes away from any seriousness," one player wrote in a comment on a post on the game's X account. "If I stumble upon a painting in a game I except it to either be significant or beautiful. But genAI paintings are less than nothing. Leaving a bad taste in many of our mouths." The AI art in Crimson Desert is not an accident. Previously they also used AI in one of Black Desert expansions. from r/CrimsonDesert Apparent use of AI in previous games has also reemerged. For some, it's a slippery slope, which means a line has to be drawn. "If you let them use AI a little bit, over time they will use it for everything. Shaming lazy ass disgusting big corporations / devs is always a good thing," one person argues on Reddit "If they used AI on the bits you can see, just how much has been used in the bits you can't see?" another person wonders. "The writing is extremely suspect as are the inexplicable puzzles." What makes the alleged used of AI in Crimson Desert particularly concerning is that there's no disclosure of it in the game's description on Steam. This would make it a violation of Steam's policy on AI use, which exists to provide transparency and allow gamers to make an informed decision on whether they want to play a game that was made using AI. Pearl Abyss doesn't disclose the use of generative AI on the Steam page and, at the time of writing, hasn't offered a response to the accusations. The use of AI art in video games remains hugely controversial. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 was even stripped of its Game of the Year and Best Debut awards at the 2025 Indie Game Awards because some AI-generated placeholder textures slipped through to the initial launch. What do you think about the Crimson Desert AI accusations? Is the use of generative AI serious enough to put you off playing the game?

'We Should Have Clearly Disclosed Our Use of AI' -- Crimson Desert Dev Launches 'Comprehensive Audit' of All In-Game Assets After AI-Generated Art Was 'Unintentionally' Included in Final Release

Crimson Desert developer Pearl Abyss has launched a "comprehensive" audit of all in-game assets after admitting the use of AI-generated images in the final release should have been disclosed. After the hotly anticipated open world action game launched this week, players were quick to spot signs and paintings that looked very much like they were generated by AI. IGN's Brendan Graeber found further examples of in-game images with the telltale signs of AI. Crimson Desert's use of generative AI art put Pearl Abyss in violation of Steam's AI Content policy, which requires generative AI use to be disclosed on the game's store page. There was no disclaimer on Crimson Desert's Steam store page as of yesterday, but today one is included as follow: AI Generated Content Disclosure The developers describe how their game uses AI Generated Content like this: Generative AI technology is used in a supplementary capacity during the creation of some 2D prop assets. Any such assets are replaced through our production pipeline by our art and development teams, ensuring they meet our quality standards and creative direction. In a statement, Pearl Abyss said the AI generated assets "were unintentionally included in the final release," and admitted it should have disclosed the use of AI to players. "We sincerely apologize for these oversights," the Korean company added. Now, it's scrubbing through the entire game looking for all AI generated assets, and will replace them via patches. Here's Pearl Abyss' statement in full: We would like to address questions regarding the use of AI in Crimson Desert. During development, some 2D visual props were created as part of early-stage iteration using experimental AI generative tools. These assets helped us rapidly explore tone and atmosphere in the earlier phases of production. However, our intention has always been for any such assets to be replaced, following final work and review by our art and development teams, with work that aligned with our quality standards and creative direction. Following reports from our community, we have identified that some of these assets were unintentionally included in the final release. This is not in line with our internal standards, and we take full responsibility for it. We also acknowledge that we should have clearly disclosed our use of AI. While these tools were primarily used during early production, with the expectation that these assets would be replaced prior to release, we recognize that this does not excuse the lack of transparency. We sincerely apologize for these oversights. We are currently conducting a comprehensive audit of all in-game assets and are taking steps to replace any affected content. Updated assets will be rolled out in upcoming patches. In parallel, we are reviewing and strengthening our internal processes to ensure greater transparency and consistency in how we communicate with players moving forward. This is the second post-launch statement Pearl Abyss has released in the initial days after Crimson Desert's massive launch. Having sold 2 million copies in just a day, Pearl Abyss told players it was going to release a patch to address complaints around the game's clunky controls, and even apologized to keyboard and mouse players. As IGN has reported, Crimson Desert launched big on Steam with nearly 250,000 concurrent players, but it currently has a "mixed" user review rating on Valve's platform. Much of the criticism from players revolves around the controls, which some have called clunky and unnecessarily complicated. There are some performance complaints too. For example, PS5 owners have come together to work out the cause of blurry visuals -- an issue that's also on the PC version. Pearl Abyss will be keen to address the main complaints with Crimson Desert sooner rather than later in a bid to improve its Steam review rating. This week, IGN reported on how Pearl Abyss saw its stock price plunge nearly 30% in what was seen as a reaction to review scores from critics. Yesterday, the company stock fell a further 9.78%. According to the Korean business press, Pearl Abyss reportedly spent seven years making Crimson Desert, with development costs coming in at 200 billion won (approx. $133 million). We've got plenty more on Crimson Desert, including patch notes for its day one update, IGN's Crimson Desert Review, and our launch interview with marketing and PR chief Will Powers. We've also got a Crimson Desert PC performance review. And if you're jumping into Crimson Desert's huge open world, we recommend you take a look at our guide to Things to Do First in Crimson Desert, plus Things Crimson Desert Doesn't Tell You (we've got 28 and counting!). We've also got a guide to the Best Early Weapons we recommend picking up, the Best Skills to Get First (including a handy explainer of the skills system), and 34 Essential Tips and Tricks to help you succeed in Pywel.

"That's AI or Am I Crazy?" -- Crimson Desert Players Think They've Found AI-Generated Art In-Game

Crimson Desert just launched yesterday to a bit of a chaotic and mixed reception from critics. That hasn't hampered its sales, but those two million players are starting to stumble into some concerning issues in their first day in Pywel, including the presence of what some are saying may be AI-generated art assets. A number of threads have popped up around social media of players questioning the human authenticity of certain art assets, specifically signs and paintings around the game. There's this painting of two swordsman with a lot of odd angles: There are these odd-looking gentleman with funky fingers: And while all of the above I could see there being an argument for just some funky proportions, the piece that really seems like solid evidence of generative AI is this painting of various men and horses. Just start looking at the horses legs, and keep going. What... is going on here? Use of generative AI to create assets, particularly final, published ones, has been a hot-button issue in games over the last year. Multiple companies have been under the magnifying glass both for confirming they did use it or even seeming to use it. Nintendo had to deny accusations of generative AI use in Mario Kart World for various billboards. Activision has experienced an ongoing outcry for generative AI assets found in Call of Duty, as has EA for Battlefield. Larian Studios went through a whole round of public backlash late last year when it was revealed in an interview that its upcoming game, Divinity, was using generative AI behind the scenes for things like concept art and placeholder text. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 was stripped of an indie Game of the Year award last year when it was revealed that a generative AI asset inadvertently made it into the final release build of the game. None of these controversies appear to have impacted the sales of these games, but they've certainly turned segments of the public's perception of them. If this is generative AI art, however, this would put Pearl Abyss in violation of Steam's AI Content policy, which requires generative AI use to be disclosed on the game's store page. Crimson Desert's page has no such disclosure at the time this piece was written. We've reached out to developer Pearl Abyss and have asked them to confirm or deny whether generative AI was used on finished assets in Crimson Desert. The studio already garnered positive press just last month when marketing director Will Powers confirmed that all the game's main and quest NPCs were voiced by human actors, not generative AI, including in multiple languages.