"Updated assets have been implemented where appropriate."

Image credit: Eurogamer

Kingdom Hearts publisher and developer, Square Enix, has denied claims that it used AI-generated content to promote the yet-to-be-released Kingdom Hearts Collection 1-3. Fans first accused the company of using AI back in early June, and now - some two months after the initial accusations - Square Enix has responded.

"We're aware of feedback regarding recent Kingdom Hearts visuals," a Square Enix representative told GameSpot. "These assets were created by our development team without the use of generative AI, and the issues resulted from human error."

Watch on YouTube

The Square Enix rep noted that the publisher is aware of the furore online, and promised to update the artwork in order to remove the specific instances people claim are made using AI.

I am left doubtful: there are multiple instances of something going on in the art: Donald Duck had five fingers on one hand and four on the other (as well as some 'melting' visual effects on his zipper), Mickey Mouse's keyblade chain seemed to morph into a different kind of chain halfway down, Sora's shoes were inaccurate to those on his character model, and the hands on the clock tower seemed to be bent downwards and not accurate to previous artworks. You can see the artwork for yourself below.

Image credit: Square Enix

It's also worth noting that the updated asset (as pointed out by GameSpot) fixes Donald's hands, but doesn't address the clock tower or the chains or the shoes.

Kingdom Hearts Collection 1-3 comes to PC, Switch 2, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S 8th October, 2026. If you need something to tide you over in the meantime, you can always check out the recent updates we've had to Kingdom Hearts 4, which recently showed signs of life after a long, long time without any significant update

Mentioned in this article