Square Enix has officially denied allegations that generative AI was used to create promotional artwork for the upcoming Kingdom Hearts Collection 1-3. The controversy began in early June when fans noticed several visual anomalies in the promotional images, prompting widespread speculation online.
Addressing the backlash roughly two months after the initial claims, a Square Enix representative stated to GameSpot:
"We're aware of feedback regarding recent Kingdom Hearts visuals. These assets were created by our development team without the use of generative AI, and the issues resulted from human error."
The publisher acknowledged the ongoing online discussion and pledged to swap out the problematic assets.
However, skepticism remains prevalent among fans due to the sheer number of odd design details. Observers pointed out several glaring issues:
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Donald Duck's hands: One hand featured five fingers while the other had four, accompanied by distorted visual artifacts along his zipper.
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Mickey Mouse's Keyblade: The chain attached to the weapon inconsistently morphed into a completely different design mid-link.
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Sora's footwear: The details on the soles of his shoes did not match his standard character model.
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Clock Tower hands: The hands on the iconic clock tower appeared unnaturally bent downward, deviating from established series artwork.
Furthermore, initial revisions to the promotional art have done little to quell doubts. While Square Enix updated the asset to correct Donald's hands, other flagged issues—such as the bent clock tower hands, altered chains, and character model inaccuracies—remained untouched in the revised image.
Kingdom Hearts Collection 1-3 is scheduled to launch on October 8, 2026, for PC, Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S. Players looking for additional content can also catch up on the latest updates regarding Kingdom Hearts 4, which recently surfaced after an extended period without major news.
What We Know So Far
Square Enix Creative Studio I confirmed that the game is being built for Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, with improved visuals, new mechanics, and environments designed around the storybook theme.
We wanted to create a world that feels like stepping into a storybook — full of wonder, surprises, and discovery around every corner.
— Square Enix Creative Studio I
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Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5 · Square Enix Creative Studio I · Role-playing (RPG), Adventure
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