It has been a tumultuous launch, to say the least, for Crimson Desert, a game that has received equal parts praise and criticism, yet has sold exceptionally well. But in the shadow of technical issues and questions about the game's quality beyond the technical aspects, the team has now also come under fire due to AI-generated graphics that keen eyed players have spotted.
Shortly after launch, observant individuals began to suspect that several of the artworks featured in the game looked very much like they were created by AI. The problem is that this had never been disclosed in advance by Pearl Abyss, despite the fact that platforms like Steam now require transparency regarding the use of such technology. Now, the developer Pearl Abyss has come forward and apologised. In an official statement, the studio acknowledges that AI was used during development, but only in the early stages to quickly generate objects for testing in the game. This was then accidentally left in.
In a statement, the team writes:
"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."
To fix this, they have begun a comprehensive review of the content in Crimson Desert to identify and replace all AI-generated material that remains hidden. At the same time, they promise to review their internal procedures to ensure that situations like these do not occur in the future.
Have you spotted any AI-assets in Crimson Desert?
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