Crimson Desert Reaches 3 Million Sales, But AI Asset Controversy Erupts
Generative artificial intelligence sparks controversy once again
Korean developer Pearl Abyss has created a complex and ambitious work, with clear strengths and weaknesses that have made it quite divisive. The fate of Crimson Desert seems to be to spark discussion, which is ultimately good for a product that needs to get noticed by the public; it's no coincidence that this fantasy action/adventure immediately attracted the attention of many players.
Crimson Desert Sales
Crimson Desert indeed started on the right foot: launched last Thursday, in less than a day it had already sold two million copies. This figure needs to be updated: the official Twitter/X account reports that, as of today, Crimson Desert sales have exceeded three million copies. Pearl Abyss is working hard to correct the numerous aspects of the title that are not functioning properly, but among the things to fix, there is one that players find particularly annoying.
Crimson Desert Day One Edition
Gamesurf may earn a commission on every purchase you make
We are grateful to share #CrimsonDesert has sold through 3 million copies worldwide. To everyone who has stepped into Pywel and shared this journey with us, thank you.
— Crimson Desert (@CrimsonDesert_) March 24, 2026
Your feedback continues to help shape the experience, and we will keep working to make the journey ahead even… pic.twitter.com/8T26KzhQwm
Crimson Desert and Generative AI
The gaming community has a strong aversion to generative artificial intelligence when it is used in game development: just look at the frosty reception given to DLSS 5. It's not surprising, then, that the discovery of some AI-created assets (for example, the painting below, via Reddit) has sparked controversy.
The Crimson Desert team has addressed the issue. The response provided is the usual one heard in these cases: the AI-created assets are placeholders used at the beginning of development to help visualize the game, temporary elements that should have been replaced, but were carelessly forgotten. Pearl Abyss will review all game assets and will replace all AI-generated ones in upcoming patches.
We would like to address questions regarding the use of AI in Crimson Desert.
— Crimson Desert (@CrimsonDesert_) March 22, 2026
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…
Similar articles
