Publisher and developer Pearl Abyss has addressed the use of AI art in its popular open-world action-adventure game Crimson Desert, apologizing for both its inclusion and failure to properly disclose it on the title’s Steam store page.
As players began exploring the vast continent of Pywel, pictures of AI art were discovered in-game and shared across the internet. Although some examples were more conclusive than others – the misshapen horse in the image linked in this paragraph is blatant AI nightmare fuel – their presence in the full game sparked community outcry, which was followed by an official response from the developer.
Crimson Desert Launches With AI Art, Pearl Abyss Responds
“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,” Pearl Abyss wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
“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 developer confirmed that “some of these assets were unintentionally included in the final release,” which it claims “is not in line with our internal standards,” taking “full responsibility for it.”
Furthermore, Steam requires developers to clearly disclose the use of AI in their games on their dedicated store pages, which Crimson Desert did not originally do.
“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.”
Following the developer’s apology regarding the use of AI art in Crimson Desert, the game’s Steam store page was updated with a section detailing how it uses AI-generated content.
Pearl Abyss is “currently conducting a comprehensive audit of all in-game assets and […] taking steps to replace any affected content.”
It didn’t take long for Crimson Desert’s AI art to be spotted by eagle-eyed adventurers, which isn’t all that surprising, given how the game attracted more than 240,000 players on Steam alone, firmly securing its spot as one of the year’s major releases.
Opinions on Pearl Abyss’ latest effort are split. While quite a few players enjoy getting lost in its world, which lacks the hand-holding baked into many modern open-world games, others find its controls cumbersome and its story unimpressive.
If you’re planning to dive in yourself, drop by our articles covering Twitch Drops and the best mods for Crimson Desert.
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