Jagex Pulls RuneScape Trailer After Fans Spot Generative AI Mistakes
Jagex has pulled a RuneScape trailer for the Dragon Slayer II quest after fans spotted obvious generative AI artifacts in it, just days after the clip debuted at RuneFest 2026. The studio apologized publicly once the mistakes were pointed out, and admitted it is now the second time in quick succession that an outside partner has slipped AI-made material past its own review process.
A Six-Fingered Knight Gives It Away
The sketchbook-style trailer was shown off during RuneFest 2026, held October 3 to 4 at Birmingham’s NEC, to promote Dragon Slayer II, the quest that kicks off the “Hoard of Dragons” story arc Jagex has planned for RuneScape starting in January 2027. Shortly after the clip went up, players began pointing out telltale signs of generative AI in the artwork, including a knight sketched with six fingers on one hand and footwear that fans quickly dubbed “medieval Air Jordans.” Jagex’s social media lead, known to the community as Mod Sween, pulled the trailer soon after while the studio looked into what had happened.
RuneScape, the 25-year-old MMO now caught up in its own generative AI controversy.
Jagex Apologizes, Points to a Trusted Partner
Once the six-fingered knight made the rounds online, Jagex didn’t try to explain it away. Mod Sween admitted “there’s a sixth finger and, well, that’s pretty hard to explain away,” before apologizing to the community. According to Jagex, the trailer was produced by a trusted external partner who had explicitly promised that no generative AI would be used in the work, a promise the studio says was broken without its knowledge. Jagex maintains that its own policy is not to use GenAI to create its games, artwork, or other creative assets, and says it won’t knowingly let outside collaborators use it either.
The Second AI Dustup in Weeks
Jagex was candid that this wasn’t an isolated slip. The studio said it marked the second time in quick succession that concerns about generative AI have surfaced through partners it trusted, pointing to its own review processes as the real issue that now needs fixing. The earlier incident came at the end of September, when esports organization 100 Thieves admitted that AI had been used in a piece of Old School RuneScape merchandise after players noticed broken, garbled icons in the design. 100 Thieves apologized at the time as well, saying plainly, “The design clearly had AI in it and we missed it.”
Part of a Bigger RuneFest
The AI controversy overshadowed what was otherwise a packed celebration of RuneScape’s 25th anniversary. The same event saw Jagex confirm a fourth mainline RuneScape MMO built in Unreal Engine, alongside RuneScape Reignited, a free remastered experience for the current game launching December 2. For a studio trying to sell players on a new era for its 25-year-old MMO, two generative AI slip-ups from outside partners in the space of a few weeks is exactly the kind of story it didn’t need.
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Picture Source: RuneScape
