r/Games: Pearl Abyss Says AI-Made Props Slipped Into Crimson Desert

Pearl Abyss has acknowledged the AI asset issue in Crimson Desert

In a March 22, 2026 statement shared to r/Games, Pearl Abyss said some 2D visual props in Crimson Desert were created during early development with experimental generative AI tools and were supposed to be replaced before launch. The studio says some of those assets were unintentionally left in the final release.

That matters because the statement turns a loose community controversy into a confirmed production and disclosure issue. Pearl Abyss is not denying that generative AI touched the art pipeline. Instead, it is saying the tools were used during early iteration, that the affected materials should have been swapped out, and that the final build included some of them by mistake.

What the studio is promising now

Pearl Abyss says the situation is not in line with its internal standards and acknowledges that it should have disclosed its AI use more clearly. The studio says it is conducting a comprehensive audit of in-game assets, plans to replace affected content in upcoming patches, and is reviewing internal processes to improve transparency and consistency in how it communicates with players.

Those are significant commitments, because the issue is no longer just about whether players like a specific sign or painting. It becomes a question of asset review, release controls, and disclosure policy across the whole game.

Why the conversation is broader than one game

The timing is important. Storefront disclosure, crediting rules, and acceptable uses of generative AI have become wider flashpoints across game development, especially when players suspect finished commercial assets were created or assisted by AI without clear labeling. By admitting both the asset leak-through and the communication failure, Pearl Abyss has effectively accepted that transparency is now part of the product standard, not just a PR extra.

Signal from r/Games

The linked r/Games post reached 541 points and 660 comments at crawl time. That comment volume is unusually high relative to score and shows how quickly the topic moved beyond a routine patch-note dispute.

Why this matters

The next question is execution. If Pearl Abyss replaces the affected props quickly and explains the process cleanly, it may contain the damage. If not, Crimson Desert risks becoming a case study in how undeclared generative AI use can overshadow launch momentum. Either way, the story is now less about isolated props and more about what players expect studios to disclose before release.

Source: r/Games statement · Linked r/PS5 thread