Square Enix Insists That Cursed Kingdom Hearts Art Was Not AI-Generated
Square Enix announced the Kingdom Hearts Collection [I-III], bringing native versions of the entire trilogy to Nintendo Switch 2 following the June 2026 Nintendo Direct presentation. A physical version of the collection was also confirmed for release. Shortly after the announcement, however, the key art and box art for the collection sparked significant controversy among players who scrutinized the images and identified unusual visual artifacts, leading to widespread accusations that Square Enix had used generative AI to create the artwork.
Responding to the criticism, Square Enix denied the use of AI, attributing the problematic elements in the artwork to “human error” instead. The company subsequently updated the box art for the physical Switch 2 version to address the issues that had raised player concerns. The revised artwork resolved the visual discrepancies that had prompted the initial backlash.
The incident reflects growing vigilance within the gaming community regarding potential AI use in promotional materials. While Square Enix’s swift correction and denial resolved this particular controversy, it underscores broader tensions between developers and players over artistic authenticity in game marketing and the increasing scrutiny applied to visual content in the industry.