Crimson Desert Players Flag AI Art, Pearl Abyss Silent
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- Crimson Desert players have posted screenshots on Bluesky and Reddit of in-game paintings they suspect are AI-generated, including a "historical battle" scene featuring what look like half-man, half-horse "abominations" that morph into rocks, framed in what one writer called the most ornate gold frame imaginable
- Reddit user Ok-Error-403 said they were "really disappointed to see Pearl Abyss use AI art every now and then throughout the world" after six hours of play, though other players pushed back and said they didn't believe the specific woodcut painting in question was AI-made
- Steam has required publishers to disclose generative AI use on store pages since early 2024, and Crimson Desert's page carries no such disclosure, putting Pearl Abyss in potential violation if the accusations hold up
- Pearl Abyss has not responded to a request for comment, even after an update noting players keep finding more examples and the studio has rushed to address separate launch issues including "clumsy controls"
- The Crimson Desert subreddit has been "battling accidental automated takedowns" as AI-art accusation posts flood the feed, with some threads drawing 3,000+ likes before being removed
- Crimson Desert sold two million copies in a single day, and the source notes it is "unlikely" the game would face serious consequences from Valve over a missing disclosure given those sales numbers
Why it matters: Pearl Abyss's silence on a binary Steam disclosure question — does Crimson Desert use generative AI? — is conspicuous because a flat "no" would be easy to issue, while the game's two-million-copy first day likely buys the studio cover from any meaningful Valve enforcement action even if the answer is yes.
