Pearl Abyss is still targeting the second half of 2028 for DokeV, with a development update promised before the end of 2026. The studio says a larger share of its developers has moved onto the creature-collecting action-adventure following Crimson Desert's DLC release.
In its November 12 earnings letter, Pearl Abyss also explains how it is using AI to test design concepts before developers implement them. It says the tools support production, while its team remains responsible for gameplay and content creation.
DokeV's next update comes before its demo push
The 2028 target is not a newly announced delay. Pearl Abyss had already set out that window in its August earnings letter, alongside plans for hands-on demos and a larger marketing campaign from the second half of 2027. Those plans remain in the latest update.
The nearer-term promise is a look at development progress this year. Pearl Abyss says it is expanding content around DokeV's main storyline and transferring more staff to the project after Crimson Desert's Enhanced Edition and Charting the Unknown DLC. It also credits work on its engine and those releases with speeding up development.
DokeV is an open-world action-adventure about exploring and growing alongside creatures called Dokebi. The letter leaves detailed gameplay systems for later announcements; the release window remains a target, not a fixed launch date.
AI concept testing follows Crimson Desert's art apology
Pearl Abyss says it previously had to implement game systems manually before validating them. It now uses AI to check different design concepts earlier, which it says helps allocate development resources more efficiently.
"However, 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," the company says.
Across the studio, it describes AI use for repetitive tasks, content-creation support and testing, with implementation expanding throughout the development pipeline. The broad policy also appeared in August's letter; November's update gives more detail on concept validation.
That distinction follows Pearl Abyss's March 22 apology over AI-generated props in Crimson Desert. The studio said experimental 2D assets intended for replacement had unintentionally reached the final game, acknowledged that it should have disclosed its AI use and promised replacement assets through patches.
For Crimson Desert, Pearl Abyss is still targeting a Switch 2 launch in the first half of 2027 and says that version is in its optimization phase. It has not supplied an exact date. Multiplayer remains under technical and gameplay research, with further announcements dependent on finalized plans.