"That's Pretty Hard to Explain Away" - Jagex Owns Up to GenAI Use in RuneScape Trailer

Jagex, the company behind the long-running MMO RuneScape, has been forced to issue an apology after fans pointed out the use of Generative AI in a trailer shown during its annual RuneFest convention.

As spotted by Eurogamer, the footage in question was a reveal for RuneScape 3's Dragon Slayer 2 quest, and it featured a six-fingered knight and a pair of shoes that looked very much like Air Jordans. The trailer has now been removed.

Jagex quickly issued a statement addressing the accusations:

"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.

Our position is clear at Jagex: 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. This is the second time in quick succession that concerns about generative AI have arisen through partners we trusted, and for us that highlights an issue with our own processes which we must address.

Immediately following RuneFest we’re overhauling our review processes, and we’re going to work with and commission creators from the community to make sure that the story of Dragon Slayer II is told to the standard befitting of such an update."

What makes this really embarrassing for the studio is that it comes just days after it issued a separate apology after it became clear that a third-party clothing collaboration had used GenAI.

"We're as angry as you are about this," the company said.

"We wouldn't have approved the use of AI in any designs. We don't use generative AI to replace the artists and developers who make our games, we don't use it in our marketing materials, and we won't use it in our merchandising or allow its use in partnerships.RuneScape, all of our games, is built by talented people, and that human craft and creativity matters enormously to us."