Pearl Abyss expands AI across development as DokeV targets late 2028
The Crimson Desert studio says AI tests ideas and its team still builds the content. Crimson Desert's Switch 2 version is due in the first half of 2027.
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Pearl Abyss, the South Korean studio behind Black Desert and Crimson Desert, said in its third-quarter 2026 earnings letter on November 12 that it is expanding the use of AI "throughout our entire development pipeline". The same letter puts its next game, the creature-adventure DokeV, in the second half of 2028.
The studio says AI is a tool for testing ideas and speeding up production, and that gameplay and content creation stay with its developers. That line matters because Crimson Desert players found AI-generated images in the game after its March launch.
What's confirmed
What Pearl Abyss says AI is for. Quoted by PC Gamer and Eurogamer, the letter says the studio used to validate game systems only after building them by hand, and now uses AI "to rapidly validate diverse design concepts prior to actual implementation." It lists the automation of repetitive tasks, content creation support and test optimisation as current uses, and says the scope is expanding across the whole pipeline. The studio describes AI as "not a substitute for human developers" and says the core gameplay and "actual content creation" remain with the team.
DokeV's schedule. According to the investor FAQ summarised by Inven Global, DokeV is targeting the second half of 2028. Pearl Abyss plans to share a development update before the end of 2026 and to start full marketing, including hands-on demos, in the second half of 2027. The studio says more staff moved to DokeV after the Crimson Desert DLC shipped. It describes the game as an open-world action-adventure in which players explore alongside creatures called Dokebi, and says AI is used on DokeV for idea validation while the dev team builds the gameplay.
Crimson Desert's next steps. Inven Global reports that the first Crimson Desert DLC, Unknown Journey, released on October 30 and reached eighth place on Steam on its launch day, and that a Nintendo Switch 2 version is targeted for the first half of 2027. The studio's shooter project, Plan 8, follows on a two-to-three-year gap between releases.
The numbers. Pearl Abyss reported Q3 revenue of 101.5 billion won, up 18% year on year but down 47.3% from the launch-boosted second quarter. Operating profit was 20.7 billion won (down 8.8% year on year) and net profit 10.8 billion won, which the company put down partly to a stronger won. Black Desert brought in 61.0 billion won and Crimson Desert 40.6 billion won, per Inven Global.
Background
Pearl Abyss built its name on Black Desert, the action MMORPG that launched in Korea in 2015 and in the West in 2016, and which still makes most of its money. Crimson Desert started life as a Black Desert prequel before becoming a single-player open-world game, and finally launched in March 2026 after years of delays.
The AI issue goes back to that launch. Eurogamer and GamesRadar report that players spotted images that looked AI-generated soon after release. Pearl Abyss said some 2D visual props had been made with AI tools early in development and were meant to be replaced, apologised for not disclosing it, and patched them out. PC Gamer reads the new letter as a step towards the transparency the studio promised then.
DokeV has its own long history. PC Gamer notes the game was first revealed in 2021, and Eurogamer reports it was once targeting 2023. A 2028 date would put it about seven years after that reveal.
My take: what it means for players
I appreciate that Pearl Abyss said this plainly in an investor letter rather than letting players discover it in a texture. That is the lesson of the Crimson Desert props. Still, "AI for concept validation and testing" and "AI for content creation support" are very different things, and the letter uses both phrases. The first is prototyping. The second is exactly the kind of thing players were angry about in March. Until Pearl Abyss says what content support means in practice, I would read the reassurance with some care.
DokeV is the bigger concern for me as a fan. It was revealed in 2021 as a bright, colourful creature adventure, the kind of game that lives or dies on hand-made charm, like Pokemon's best generations or Ni no Kuni's Studio Ghibli look in 2011. Those are not games you can prototype your way to. If AI helps a team test ten combat ideas a week instead of one, fine. If it starts filling the world, players will notice, and Crimson Desert already proved they will.
The schedule is reasonable for once. A demo in late 2027 and launch in late 2028 gives the studio time, and Pearl Abyss has learned the cost of announcing too early.
What we don't know yet
- What "content creation support" covers. Pearl Abyss has not said whether it includes art, text, voice or level assets.
- AI disclosure. The studio has not said whether DokeV's Steam listing will disclose AI use.
- DokeV platforms and price. Neither is announced.
- Crimson Desert on Switch 2. Only "first half of 2027" is given, with no date or price.
Quick facts
| Key | Value |
|---|---|
| Company | Pearl Abyss (South Korea) |
| Report | Q3 2026 earnings letter, November 12, 2026 |
| AI use | Concept validation, task automation, content support, testing |
| DokeV release | Second half of 2028 (target) |
| DokeV demos | Second half of 2027 (planned) |
| Crimson Desert on Switch 2 | First half of 2027 (target) |
| Q3 revenue | 101.5 billion won (+18% year on year) |
FAQ
Is Pearl Abyss using AI to make DokeV?
Yes, for validating ideas and productivity, according to its earnings letter. It says core gameplay and content creation remain with its developers.
When is DokeV coming out?
Pearl Abyss is targeting the second half of 2028, with hands-on demos planned from the second half of 2027.
Is Crimson Desert coming to Switch 2?
Yes. Pearl Abyss is targeting the first half of 2027.
Did Crimson Desert use AI art?
Pearl Abyss admitted some 2D props were made with AI early in development, apologised for not disclosing it and removed them in an update.
More: Crimson Desert game page.
Sources: Pearl Abyss (Q3 2026 earnings letter); Inven Global; PC Gamer; Eurogamer; GamesRadar. Image: PC Gamer feed image (Crimson Desert, © Pearl Abyss).
