Crimson Desert Dev Insists AI-Generated Images Shouldn’t Have Made It Into the Final Release, Will Update Assets via Patches

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).