Crimson Desert's Pearl Abyss Admits to Undisclosed AI Use in Steam

Crimson Desert has officially come out after a tumultuous time for Pearl Abyss. Following a stock plummet after the critic reviews launched from embargo, the single-player open-world experience started out its Steam launch with a Mixed score, with positive reviews tipping slowly towards sub-50%.

Since the launch, players on reddit started to notice odd paintings appearing in the experience, though there was a missing AI Generated Content Disclosure on Steam. Still, despite the missing transparency, some of the images were outright undeniable, and even days after the game had launched (and months since the pre-order period started), there was no public disclosure regarding the AI use.

It was only after the game's launch, and players and press calling out the seemingly AI-generated assets, that Pearl Abyss had something to say about the content. On the official X (formerly Twitter) Crimson Desert account, the team released a lengthy tweet talking about their usage of AI-generated content, and that these were placeholders that made it through the quality assurance.

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

 

Below, we'll share the full tweet in text format, in the case of the post ever being deleted.

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 replacedprior 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.

As per Pearl Abyss' post, the team "primarily" used AI during early production and early-stage iteration. However, Crimson Desert was announced with an official reveal trailer on the 22nd of November 2019, whereas reliable image generation came years after the release, with the earliest model being DALL-E in 2021. 

Now, Crimson Desert has an AI Generated Content Disclosure on Steam, giving players who care about its use in games the opportunity to make an informed decision. Below is the current disclosure at the time of writing.

Generative AI technology is used in a supplementary capacity during the creation of some 2D prop assets.

Any such assets are replaced through our production pipeline by our art and development teams, ensuring they meet our quality standards and creative direction.

Some Steam discussions have claimed that gamers have had success acquiring refunds even when outside of the periods offered by Valve. Considering this is against the platform's Terms of Service, some players can argue for refunds if they were displeased with undisclosed AI.