Crimson Desert‘s latest update, version 1.01.00, has started replacing the controversial generative AI assets that were “unintentionally” left in the game at launch.
As divisive as Crimson Desert has proven to be, you have to give Pearl Abyss credit for how quickly it’s tweaked, improved, and updated the game. In the less than two weeks since it launched, Crimson Desert has had some of its biggest flaws, such as the controls, blurry resolution, and load times, addressed through speedy patches.
One of the bigger controversies surrounding the game that seemed like it might take Pearl Abyss a fair bit more time to fix is the inclusion of generative AI assets. At launch, players discovered that many of the game’s paintings were AI-generated, which Pearl Abyss promised would be changed in a future update. As it turns out, that update wasn’t far off at all.
Pearl Abyss Has Replaced Some Of Crimson Desert’s AI Paintings In The Latest Update
And It Somehow Only Took A Week
The official patch notes for Crimson Desert’s 1.01.00 update note that “select 2D visual assets” have been replaced to “better align with the game’s art direction”. It doesn’t take much to figure out that this is referring to the “placeholder” AI-generated paintings that Pearl Abyss confirmed would be changed this time last week.
Considering how many of these paintings there are in Crimson Desert, it seemed like it might take a bit more time to fix but, as showcased by Twitter user SynthPotato, Pearl Abyss really has swapped out many of the AI assets in a week. Just one look at the new paintings makes it clear that they’re not generative AI and actually made by humans, which is an undeniable improvement to Crimson Desert’s world.
There were some doubts that Pearl Abyss mistakenly included the AI assets and was just making an excuse after being caught, but the incredibly short turnaround does suggest it really was an accident. Since the patch notes mention that it’s “part of ongoing visual improvements”, it’s likely that some assets are still remaining in the game, but at least the work has begun.
Crimson Desert
- Released
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March 19, 2026
- ESRB
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Mature 17+ / Blood, Drug Reference, Intense Violence, Strong Language
- Developer(s)
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Pearl Abyss
- Publisher(s)
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Pearl Abyss
Crimson Desert Is Going To Kick So Much Ass In Six Months Time
Pearl Abyss is going to keep on making Crimson Desert better and better from here on out.
