Crimson Desert Developer Apologizes for Leaving AI Art in the Final Game
Pearl Abyss admits experimental AI placeholder art accidentally made it into the final release and promises a full removal.
The launch week issues for Crimson Desert continue to pile up. Following severe technical issues and the complete lockout of Intel Arc graphics cards, players exploring the massive world of Pywel recently noticed something strange on the walls: in-game paintings featuring characters with missing fingers and horses melting into human bodies.
After screenshots of the glaringly obvious AI-generated art went viral across social media and reddit (where it was originally posted), developer Pearl Abyss was forced to issue a public statement. The studio admitted to using generative AI during development, claiming the assets were only meant to be placeholders that they simply forgot to remove before shipping the final game.
“Early-Stage Iteration”
In a lengthy post on the official Crimson Desert social media channels, Pearl Abyss confirmed the community’s suspicions but stressed that AI was not part of their final artistic vision.
“During development, some 2D visual props were created as part of early-stage iteration using experimental AI generative tools,” the studio explained. “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… with work that aligned with our quality standards and creative direction.”
The developer claims that following community reports, they realized several of these AI-generated 2D props “were unintentionally included in the final release.”
Related: Intel Calls Out Pearl Abyss Over Missing Arc GPU Support
An Apology and a Promise to Patch
The use of generative AI is a massive flashpoint in the gaming community, with many players fiercely pushing back against studios that use algorithms to replace human artists and voice actors. Pearl Abyss acknowledged that keeping the community in the dark was a mistake.
“We also acknowledge that we should have clearly disclosed our use of AI,” the statement continued. “We recognise that this does not excuse the lack of transparency. We sincerely apologise for these oversights.”
If you want to focus on gameplay rather than looking at the controversial wall art, check out our complete Crimson Desert Guides Hub like how to get timber to help you survive the dangerous world of Pywel!
To rectify the situation, Pearl Abyss has promised they are currently doing a “comprehensive audit” of every single asset in the game. Any remaining AI-generated content will be completely removed and replaced with properly created human art in “upcoming patches.” Furthermore, the official Steam store page for Crimson Desert has finally been updated to legally disclose that the title utilizes “AI generated content.”
