RuneScape Dev Pulls Trailer After 6-Fingered Knight Leads to Generative AI Allegations
RuneScape developer Jagex has pulled a new trailer after a six-fingered knight led to allegations of generative AI usage from fans.
There were some ups and downs for RuneScape players over the weekend. What started with a string of big reveals from RuneFest 2026 ended with social media users voicing their concern that generative AI had been used to make the new trailer for RuneScape 3's Dragon Slayer 2 quest.
The backlash was loud enough that Jagex stepped in not only to release an official response on the matter but also to pull the trailer entirely while it investigates "urgently." The statement, posted on Reddit by social media manager Alex Sween (via Kotaku), acknowledged some of the more undeniable concerns related to the trailer – including the fact that one of its knights has six fingers.
"Hello, it’s me, again, talking about Gen AI, again," the statement began, referencing a separate, recent incident involving 100 Thieves and OSRS. The team also took a "hard line stance" against generative AI earlier this year. "We’re aware of the concerns raised about the Dragon Slayer 2 trailer and have taken it down, while we investigate urgently. This trailer was produced by a trusted external partner who had explicitly confirmed that GenAI would not be used. But, among other things, there’s a sixth finger and, well, that’s pretty hard to explain away. For that we apologise.
Although uploads of RuneScape's Dragon Slayer 2 trailer can no longer be found on official channels, it is still available via the full RuneFest 2026 livestream. There are also plenty of posts from fans discussing the matter still live across social media. They're not happy, but Jagex knows that.
The team took its statement and apology as an opportunity to, again, make its position clear: "We don't use GenAI to create our games, artwork, or creative assets and will not knowingly allow it to be used on our behalf." However, it's hard to deny that a second instance of artificial intelligence being used to generate content suggests a deeper problem for the MMO developer. Jagex explained that it plans to address its approach to working with partners going forward.
Then today, Jagex decided to use AI in a trailer for an upcoming quest, the knight in video has 6 fingers and boots in a another frame look like modern sneakers.
— TheNoobishDad (@ABNreaper) October 4, 2026
https://t.co/L6w4yotJw0 https://t.co/C9kMM2oC7c
"Immediately following RuneFest we’re overhauling our review processes," the statement continued, "and we’re going to work with and commission creators from the community to make sure that the story of Dragon Slayer 2 is told to the standard befitting of such an update."
The six-fingered knight really does feel like the smoking gun, but another bizarre piece of art from the trailer, which showed a fully-armored knight wearing what seemed to be a regular old pair of tennis shoes, had fans raising eyebrows, too. In follow-up replies, Sween acknowledged it's something Jagex "should have caught," adding, "We didn't do well enough and can't simply place the blame elsewhere."
As Jagex refines its processes to maintain its stance against generative AI, it's still working to deliver other new projects. RuneScape 4 is one of these new projects, with an animated adaptation also in the works with YouTuber MoistCr1tikal.
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