Pearl Abyss is expanding generative AI across its entire development pipeline, the studio announced in its latest quarterly earnings letter. The South Korean developer uses AI to "rapidly validate diverse design concepts prior to actual implementation," which it says enables "more efficient allocation of development resources and enhances overall production speed."
The studio emphasized that AI remains a support tool. "AI serves strictly as a tool to support concept validation and pipeline productivity, while the core gameplay experience and actual content creation remain fully driven by our development team," Pearl Abyss stated.
Pearl Abyss applies AI to "automation of repetitive tasks, content creation support, and test optimization" across development stages. The studio plans to expand AI use throughout its workflow.
This move follows controversy around Crimson Desert's launch. Players spotted suspicious in-game images that appeared AI-generated. Pearl Abyss confirmed some "2D visual props" were created with AI tools but were always meant to be replaced with human-made art. The studio patched them out.
In other studio news, Pearl Abyss targets a DokeV launch in the second half of 2028. The creature-collector game was initially targeting a 2023 launch. Crimson Desert is being prepped for a Nintendo Switch 2 launch in the first half of next year.