Crimson Desert Players Think They've Found an AI Painting in the Game

Crimson Desert is currently under heavy fire from its own community as players debate whether the game features AI-generated art. While Crimson Desert managed to dominate sales charts immediately after its launch, the discovery of some very strange visuals has caused many fans to question the studio’s development process. This ambitious open-world title has already moved millions of copies, yet it finds itself stuck in a growing controversy regarding how modern technology might be replacing human creativity.

The game landed on store shelves on March 19, following several years of high-profile delays. In a massive win for developer Pearl Abyss, Crimson Desert sold over 2 million units in just 24 hours, making it one of the biggest releases of the year so far. However, the actual reaction from players and critics has been surprisingly mixed, with the game currently sitting at an 80 on OpenCritic. While many fans are having a blast, others are frustrated by the last-minute inclusion of Denuvo and some serious performance issues on PC. The situation became so messy for some users that the studio actually recommended seeking a refund if they were trying to play on certain Intel hardware.

AI Art Controversy in the World of Pywel

The new adventure takes place in the continent of Pywel, where players control a group of mercenaries fighting to survive in a war-torn landscape. As players explore Crimson Desert‘s first major city, the environment is filled with small details intended to make the medieval setting feel authentic and immersive. In a manor house near the southwest gate of Dakenshield, players can find a staircase decorated with paintings in large, expensive-looking gold frames. The trouble began when players started zooming in on those decorations and found what they believe to be “AI slop.” One specific painting looks like a complete nightmare where humans and horses seem to be melting into a single, chaotic mass.

Redditor Rex_Spy pointed out that some of the horses have extra legs growing out of their tails, and some characters appear to have “funky fingers” that no human would ever draw. Another player, Ok-Error-403, shared on Reddit that it was a massive disappointment to see these messy assets in such a premium game. A professional artist named Large-Ad523 even joined the discussion to explain that the perspective and art styles are a total mess, mixing different historical periods in a way that proves the images weren’t actually painted by a person.

This discovery is particularly serious because it might violate the rules set by major PC storefronts. Steam began requiring all developers to disclose the use of generative AI in their games starting in early 2024. Currently, the page for Crimson Desert has no such label, leading users like Trizzizzle to claim the studio is being dishonest about its “handcrafted” experience. This follows a statement from marketing director Will Powers, who earned praise just last month for promising that every single NPC in Crimson Desert was voiced by a real actor.

Image via Pearl Abyss

The community is now locked in a heated debate between those who are outraged about the possible AI in the game and those who think the drama is overblown. Some Reddit users have already called for a total boycott, stating that seeing “nightmare sauce” in a full-priced game is enough to make them refund it. Others argue that these are just small details on a wall that don’t affect the actual fun of the gameplay. There is a popular theory among fans that these images were just placeholder assets that someone simply forgot to replace before the game went gold. Regardless of how they got there, players are going to be on high alert for more weird visuals as they continue their gameplay. For many, the hope is that Pearl Abyss will eventually replace the “mutated horses” with real human art to restore the game’s identity. Some reviewers have even suggested that the writing and NPC dialogue feel slightly “off,” leading to further theories that AI might have been involved in the scripting process as well.