Crimson Desert Devs Issue Apology for Using AI Generative Art Assets in Game

It’s been several days since the release of Crimson Desert, the new open-world action-adventure game from Pearl Abyss. Crimson Desert opened up with some mixed reviews from both players and critics, as they explored the vast world of Pywel, and one thing that players had noticed during their exploration was the use of AI generative art assets found in many of the paintings and signs in the game.

Today, the Crimson Desert dev team issued an apology, responding to the accusations and confirming the use of generative AI in the game. Here’s what the dev team had to say in their statement, which was posted on the official Crimson Desert X account.

Crimson Desert Confirmed to Use AI Generative Art in Game

Crimson Desert is one of the largest open-world maps in the genre. The dev team built an expansive map that lets players do and experience many things, making the game extremely engaging and interactive. The devs definitely paid attention to small details when creating things; however, after a day of the game’s release, many players found what they believed to be AI generative art assets scattered throughout the map.

Just like the above photo snapped by a player exploring Pywel, many paintings and signs found in different cities on the map had many oddities if you looked closely enough, and also looked like the devs used generative AI to create these art pieces. Many players took to social media, creating a subreddit discussing whether or not the art pieces were generative AI, and some provided evidence of their suspicions.

Dev Team Issues Apology on X

Today, the devs at Pearl Abyss issued a statement of apology on the Crimson Desert official X account confirming that the art assets were AI-generated. The devs explained that the visual props were used as part of the early-stage iteration of the art, which would help the team during the game’s development. The devs also explain that the assets were unintentionally included in the final release of the game, which would explain why so many were found by players.

Pearl Abyss issued this statement along with the game’s first patch, which was also released today. The patch included an adjustment to gamepad and keyboard/mouse controls, an increased Health restored from food and items, and added new item storage in the Howling Hill Camp. Here’s the full statement on the Crimson Desert official X account:

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.