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 sales 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, developer Pearl Abyss has 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 on X. “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.”
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…
— Crimson Desert (@CrimsonDesert_) March 22, 2026
In the days following the game’s release, players quickly came across in-game paintings that looked like AI-generated images imitating art from ages past. 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 its 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 setting aside the use of AI in your game, it’s pretty foolish to use temporary assets that don’t call obvious attention to themselves. 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 the game’s wonky control scheme.
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