The developers of 'Crimson Desert' have apologized for the use of AI art.



In '

Crimson Desert ,' an open-world action-adventure game released on March 20, 2026, a controversy arose on Reddit regarding whether the paintings displayed in the game were AI-generated. Developer Pearl Abyss admitted to using AI generation and apologized, explaining that 'early-stage production pieces intended to be replaced later were unintentionally left in the game.'




Crimson Desert Dev Insists AI-Generated Images Shouldn't Have Made It Into the Final Release, Will Update Assets via Patches
https://www.ign.com/articles/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' sold 2 million copies in its first day of release on March 20, 2026, and recorded approximately 250,000 concurrent players on Steam. However, there have also been complaints about the complexity of the controls and the game's performance, and developer Pearl Abyss stated in a press release announcing the sales figures that they 'are aware of the feedback from players and are working to improve it quickly.'

Several users have raised suspicions that the artworks and signs found within 'Crimson Desert' might have been generated by AI.

The following post points out that a painting displayed at Oakenshield House in the southwest of the first town 'feels weird, like AI art from several years ago.' Upon closer inspection, the painting is indeed strange, with the horse's body being odd overall and parts that appear to be a fusion of horse and human.



The following

post also points out that the artwork in the game is strange. If you look closely at the image, you'll notice something odd about the positioning of the figures and the angle at which their swords are crossed.



In addition, the following posts point out that the illustrations on signs installed on the road may have been generated by AI because some of the outlines and background colors are broken, and the shape of the skull is strange.



According to gaming media outlet IGN, at the time the use of AI-generated art was suspected, there was no indication of the use of AI generation on the Steam store page for 'Crimson Desert.' Steam's AI disclosure guidelines stipulate that 'players must be notified when AI is used to generate content, from marketing and concept assets to in-game content that players interact with,' and failing to disclose that AI-generated images or sounds in a game constitutes a violation of the terms of service.

Following the criticism, the development team for 'Crimson Desert' responded on March 20, 2026, stating, 'We would like to address your questions regarding the use of AI. In the early stages of development, some 2D prop assets were created using experimental AI generation tools. These assets were helpful in quickly exploring the tone and atmosphere in the early stages of production. However, our intention has always been for these assets to be replaced with works that conform to our quality standards and creative direction through final work and review by the art and development teams. Following reports from the community, it has become clear that some of these assets were unintentionally included in the final release.' They acknowledged the use of generation AI and explained that some assets intended to be replaced before release remained.

The development team apologized, stating, 'We also recognize that we should have clearly disclosed the use of AI. These tools were primarily used in the early stages of production, with the understanding that the assets would be replaced before release, but we realize that a lack of transparency is unacceptable. We deeply apologize for these oversights.' They added that they are conducting a 'comprehensive audit' of the in-game assets and are proceeding with replacing any remaining AI-generated assets.

As of the time of writing, the Steam store page for 'Crimson Desert' states under 'Disclosure of AI-generated content' that 'Generative AI technology plays an auxiliary role in the creation of some 2D prop assets. These assets are replaced by our art and development teams through our production pipeline and are guaranteed to meet our quality standards and creative direction.'



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