Recently, Crimson Desert hit the market after many years of development. The title launched to a mixed reception, dividing gamers straight down the middle with a ‘love-it-or-hate-it’ kind of vibe. One polarizing point was the untimely discovery of generative AI art in Crimson Desert, which vexed a fair portion of the game’s community, especially as it wasn’t properly disclosed.
In a lengthy statement on social media, Pearl Abyss, the game’s developer, has addressed the use of AI in Crimson Desert, suggesting it was an oversight that it has been left in the final product.
Crimson Desert AI Art Controversy Hits Community
On the same day that Crimson Desert launched, eagle-eyed users spotted ‘suspicious’ imagery all across the game. In a string of images uploaded to social media, we saw paintings and murals that were almost unequivocal, irrevocable replications of AI art.
And unless you’ve been living under a rock, you can understand why that’s a big deal.
It got worse when it was noticed that Pearl Abyss hadn’t followed protocol on Steam and disclosed the use of generative AI.
However, in a post on social media, the team at Pearl Abyss suggested it was a complete mistake that the AI art was left in the shipped game:
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.
They explained that they should have disclosed the use of AI, and they were under the expectation that the assets mentioned would be altered before release, but that wasn’t the case.
To resolve the issue, the team is carrying out a full audit of all in-game assets to identify anything that’s generative AI in nature and removing it from the platform.
Also, Pearl Abyss will be carrying out a review of the internal processes that allowed for this lapse to happen in the first place.
In the comments under the post, some folks said the team doesn’t need to apologize, suggesting that players are ‘overreacting like crazy’, while others said that the game has much bigger concerns right now.
AI continues to be a hugely contentious point for gamers, but where do you fall on the debate? Do you think this is a nothingburger of an issue? Let us know on the Insider Gaming Discord server.
For more Insider Gaming coverage, check out the news that Cyberpunk’s TCG has hit $12 million on Kickstarter
Grant has been gaming for 30+ years and in the industry for 10+. You'll probably find him playing a post-apocalyptic game or an extraction shooter somewhere.
More from Grant Taylor-Hill
Comments