Crimson Desert team apologizes after players find AI art in the game: 'Our intention has always been for any such assets to be replaced'

Crimson Desert team apologizes after players find AI art in the game: ‘Our intention has always been for any such assets to be replaced’ | PC Gamer Skip to main content Open menu Close main menu PC Gamer THE GLOBAL AUTHORITY ON PC GAMES US Edition UK US Canada Australia Subscribe Sign in View Profile Sign out Search Search PC Gamer Games Hardware News Reviews Guides Video Forum More PC Gaming Show PC Gamer Clips Software Codes Coupons Movies & TV Magazine Newsletter Affiliate links Meet the team Community guidelines About PC Gamer PC Gamer Magazine SubscriptionWhy subscribe?Subscribe to the world’s #1 PC gaming magTry a single issue or save on a subscriptionIssues delivered straight to your door or device From$1Subscribe now Don’t miss these AI ‘I f**king hate gen AI art,’ Hooded Horse chief says: ‘If we’re publishing the game, no f**king AI assets’ RPG Larian swears off gen AI concept art tools and says ‘There is not going to be any GenAI art in Divinity,’ but it’s still ‘trying [AI] things out across departments’ Third Person Shooter ‘We don’t use AI…to replace people,’ claims Arc Raiders CEO, without actually explaining what they do use it for AI ‘We’re not planning on making absolute statements in either direction,’ GOG boss says about generative AI, leading supporters to make some absolute statements in one very specific direction: ‘Absolutely terrible response’ Sim Understandable AI paranoia has inspired a developer to change the handcrafted character art in its upcoming sim: ‘They look a bit AI’ AI Major industry survey finds that, surprise surprise, 9/10 game devs think generative AI use should be more fully disclosed on Steam Gaming Industry ‘We will f*ck up’: The publisher of Against the Storm and Manor Lords is committed to keeping generative AI out, but it’s easier said than done AI Steam updates AI disclosure form to specify that it’s focused on AI-generated content that is ‘consumed by players,’ not efficiency tools used behind the scenes AI Stellar Blade’s director says AI can see ‘one person can perform the work of 100 people’ but that won’t wind up in job losses, somehow Action After whiffing its release date by 5 years, Crimson Desert is putting out oodles of preview stuff as ‘We never want to be accused of hiding anything, because we have a lot of ground to make up’ RPG Larian’s head writer has a simple answer for how AI-generated text helps development: ‘It doesn’t,’ thanks to its best output being ‘a 3/10 at best’ worse than his worst drafts AI Umamusume developer Cygames bullied into apology by outraged horse girl enthusiasts after announcing AI subsidiary: ‘We sincerely apologize for the concern we’ve caused’ Gaming Industry Krafton’s new chief AI officer says the company ‘uses AI as a tool to amplify human imagination and creativity, not replace it’ 3 months after it announced a hiring freeze and launched a voluntary resignation programme Gaming Industry ‘You would not believe the number of AI games in our inbox’ says Tunic’s publisher ‘I am tired of seeing it’ Gaming Industry Over 50% of game developers now think generative AI is bad for the industry, a dramatic increase from just 2 years ago: ‘I’d rather quit the industry than use generative AI’ Popular PC Gamer ClipsCrimson DesertMarathonBest PC gearGDCQuizzes Games RPG Crimson Desert Crimson Desert team apologizes after players find AI art in the game: ‘Our intention has always been for any such assets to be replaced’ News By Justin Wagner published 22 March 2026 “We also acknowledge that we should have clearly disclosed our use of AI.” When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. (Image credit: Pearl Abyss) Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Email Share this article 24 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter PC Gamer Get the PC Gamer Newsletter Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. You are now subscribed Your newsletter sign-up was successful Want to add more newsletters? Every Friday GamesRadar+ Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you’re going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them. 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From first-look trailers, interviews, reviews and explainers, we’ve got you covered. Signup + Once a month SFX Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month! Signup + An account already exists for this email address, please log in. Subscribe to our newsletter AI has been involved in its fair share of oopsies at this point, and Crimson Desert is the latest to take the hit. As reported by IGN, many players have taken to Reddit to point out likely AI-generated assets since the game’s release, and today developer Pearl Abyss shared a statement on X responding to the accusations.”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 claimed. “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 post continues that “reports from our community” alerted the team to assets that weren’t meant to stay in the final game and “not in line with our internal standards.” If you’re getting some deja vu, both the latest Anno game and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 caught similar flak when players spotted AI-generated art in the games⁠. .Article continues below You may like ‘I f**king hate gen AI