Kingdom Hearts art sparks AI-use accusations after Switch 2 reveal

A rush of Kingdom Hearts 4 news from the Nintendo Direct June showcase soured after credible suspicions that generative AI was used in the lead art for the series' newly announced Nintendo Switch 2 collection. A large illustration from Square Enix's official asset library was picked apart online: fans noted Donald has five fingers on his left hand and four on his right, Sora's hair layering is inconsistently rendered, and several background details show the meltiness often associated with AI art.

The image is full of clashing layers, wobbly lines and odd proportions. Observers pointed out that the left-most Sora's left hand looks damaged while the right-most Sora has an oversized left hand and a right hand that appears to clip through a keyblade, revealing the bottom of the guard where the hilt should be.

The Kingdom Hearts Collection [I~III] features KH 1.5+2.5, 2.8 and III + Re Mind (DLC) and is launching October 8 on Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and Xbox on PC.

kingdom hearts, sora, donald duck, switch 2, nintendo direct, square enix, generative ai, ai art, keyblade, visual glitches