Jagex pulled the RuneScape Dragon Slayer II trailer shown at RuneFest after viewers flagged imagery they believed showed generative AI, including a character with six fingers. The studio apologized and said its trusted external partner had explicitly confirmed that GenAI would not be used. Jagex has not named that partner or published the outcome of its investigation.
Why Jagex removed the trailer
After the trailer appeared at RuneFest, viewers pointed to a six-fingered hand and oddly rendered footwear as apparent signs of generative AI. Jagex moderator Alec “Mod Sween” Sween said the company had taken the trailer down while it investigated urgently and apologized for the six-finger detail. In his words, “there’s a sixth finger and, well, that’s pretty hard to explain away.” PC Gamer reported the trailer’s RuneFest presentation and the criticism that followed.
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The visual details prompted the concern; they do not, by themselves, establish how the trailer was made. Jagex’s statement gives the studio’s account of what its partner had promised, not a completed finding about the production process.
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Sween said the trailer came from a trusted external partner that had explicitly confirmed GenAI would not be used. The statement does not identify the partner or explain the production workflow. Jagex said it does not use GenAI to create its games, artwork or creative assets and would not knowingly allow it to be used on its behalf. That is the studio’s stated policy; the trailer incident is the subject of an investigation, not a published conclusion about who used what tools.
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Jagex also described the trailer as the second recent occasion when generative-AI concerns had arisen through partners it trusted. Sween said this pointed to a failure in Jagex’s own processes, and the studio announced that it would overhaul its review processes and work with and commission community creators to tell the Dragon Slayer II story. Those steps were announced as plans; Jagex has not detailed completed controls or provided the investigation’s findings. The official community statement was posted October 4, 2026.
How this relates to the earlier 100 Thieves dispute
The earlier episode cited in coverage concerned Jagex’s clothing collaboration with 100 Thieves, not the Dragon Slayer II trailer. PC Gamer described the trailer controversy as following that separate AI-related dispute by days. Jagex has characterized both as recent concerns involving trusted partners, but the available statements do not establish that the same partner or production workflow was involved.
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GamesRadar also reported Jagex’s account of the trailer removal and cited an earlier January 2026 assurance by product SVP James Dobrowski to GamesIndustry.biz that “no generative AI will ever be present in any asset that a player can touch, hear or feel.” That earlier assurance was reported by GamesRadar; Jagex’s current official statement is the direct source for the studio’s position in this incident.
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What remains unknown
- The external partner’s identity.
- How the trailer was produced and whether the investigation confirms GenAI use.
- What specific review controls Jagex will adopt, and when.
- Whether or when a replacement trailer will be released.
Until Jagex publishes more, the established facts are that it removed the trailer while investigating, apologized for the apparent six-finger issue, and said the partner had promised not to use GenAI. The studio has acknowledged a partner-oversight problem, but has not yet reported what its investigation found.
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