Jagex Removes RuneScape 3 Dragon Slayer 2 Trailer Amid Generative AI Concerns

Jagex has removed a newly revealed RuneScape 3: Dragon Slayer 2 trailer following fan concerns that the video may have included generative AI-created artwork. The sketchbook-styled promotional piece debuted during RuneFest, where it introduced an upcoming questline carrying one of the most recognizable names in the wider RuneScape history. It was subsequently taken down from official channels while the studio conducts what it described as an urgent investigation.

The decision follows close scrutiny from players who noticed unusual visual details in the trailer. Among the most widely discussed examples were a character appearing to have six fingers on one hand and footwear that viewers felt looked conspicuously like modern Nike shoes. While neither detail alone establishes exactly how the video was made, they became focal points in a larger conversation about whether generative AI tools had been involved despite Jagex's public position against using them for creative work.

In a statement posted to the RuneScape community, Jagex social media manager Alex Sween said the trailer had been created by an external partner that had explicitly confirmed it would not use generative AI. The studio nevertheless acknowledged that the six-fingered image was difficult to account for and apologized for releasing the video.

"We're aware of the concerns raised about the Dragon Slayer 2 trailer and have taken it down, while we investigate urgently," Sween wrote. "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."

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A major quest name complicated by the trailer controversy

Dragon Slayer 2 was meant to be one of the headline RuneScape 3 announcements from the event. The name has significant weight for longtime players: Dragon Slayer and its sequel are high-level quests strongly associated with the old-school side of the franchise, and their stories hold an important place in RuneScape's questing legacy. Bringing that branding into RuneScape 3 could have been an opportunity to build excitement around a substantial new chapter for its players.

Instead, attention rapidly shifted from what the questline might contain to the art used in its reveal. The trailer's hand-drawn, sketchbook-like approach may have made the suspected irregularities especially conspicuous. Viewers paused shots, circulated clips and highlighted details that they believed resembled common artifacts associated with AI-generated imagery, including anatomy problems and visual elements that did not seem to fit RuneScape's fantasy setting.

At the time of the statement, the trailer appeared to have disappeared from official Jagex sources. Reaction videos and streamer coverage that captured portions of it have remained available elsewhere, meaning the images at the center of the debate continue to circulate even after the studio's removal of the original upload.

Jagex has not said that its investigation has concluded, nor has it confirmed precisely what production methods were used by the outside company involved. That distinction matters. The studio's response is not a final technical explanation for every unusual image in the trailer; it is an acknowledgment that the footage raised serious enough questions to pull it down, investigate the partner's work and reassess the approval process that allowed it to be published.

Jagex says this is the second partner-related issue in days

The Dragon Slayer 2 trailer was not the first recent controversy involving suspected generative AI in RuneScape-related promotional material. Only days earlier, Jagex and esports organization 100 Thieves had apologized after players identified apparent generative AI use in a collaborative Old School RuneScape T-shirt design.

That earlier dispute had already put the community on alert, particularly because Jagex had made clear statements that it did not intend to use AI-generated work to replace its artists and developers. In discussing the merchandise matter, Sween said the company would not have approved AI use in the design, marketing materials, merchandise or partnership work. The new trailer controversy therefore landed in a much more sensitive atmosphere, with players seeing two separate creative assets tied to outside partners questioned in quick succession.

Sween directly connected the incidents in the response concerning Dragon Slayer 2. He said the repeated problems point to a failure in Jagex's own processes, regardless of the assurances made by external partners. The studio plans to overhaul its review procedures immediately after RuneFest, an indication that it sees pre-release checks as a key part of preventing a similar situation from happening again.

That is an important concession in the discussion. Outsourcing promotional material is common across the games business, but assigning work to a third party does not remove the need for final review. Fans critical of the trailer have argued that the apparent visual mistakes should have been caught before publication even if the vendor had violated its agreement. The six-fingered hand in particular became shorthand for the concern that the video either was not adequately reviewed or was approved despite obvious warning signs.

Community response ranges from sympathy to skepticism

Player reaction has been divided, though the overall response reflects frustration after two controversies so close together. Some community members have been sympathetic to the RuneScape team, viewing the situation as a case of an outside contractor breaking a clearly stated policy. One response to Sween praised the transparency of the statement and noted that AI-generated work can be submitted against workplace rules in other fields as well.

Others have been less willing to accept that explanation without stronger accountability. Their argument is straightforward: even if the studio did not request AI-generated art and the partner gave an explicit assurance, a final video was still posted under official RuneScape branding. From that perspective, the central question is not only what the partner did, but how the material moved through review without somebody identifying the strange anatomy and anachronistic-looking shoes.

Both views leave room for the same practical expectation: players want the revised process to be visible in the work that comes next. A statement and a takedown can address an immediate issue, but the community will likely judge Jagex by whether future trailers, collaborations and merchandise demonstrate clearer oversight and consistently human-made creative work.

The sensitivity around this issue is understandable. Game communities often form strong attachments to the artists, writers, designers and performers who help define a long-running world. RuneScape, with decades of quests, characters and player memories behind it, is particularly tied to a recognizable handmade identity. For players worried about generative AI, the concern is not merely a malformed hand in a single advertisement. It is whether a technology they believe can undermine creative labor will become embedded in the franchise's visual language or commercial partnerships.

Community creators will help retell the Dragon Slayer 2 story

Rather than simply restoring the removed trailer, Jagex says it intends to work with and commission community creators to tell the story of Dragon Slayer II to a standard it feels the update deserves. The wording suggests a different promotional approach is planned, though the studio has not detailed which creators will be involved, what form the replacement material will take or when players should expect it.

This commitment could serve two purposes. First, it gives Dragon Slayer 2 a chance to be reintroduced without the cloud hanging over the original reveal. Second, it puts the focus on artists from within the game's own creative community at a moment when trust in the studio's pipeline has been challenged. The effectiveness of that approach will depend on follow-through, especially after the T-shirt issue and trailer concern made assurances from partners a point of contention.

For now, the underlying RuneScape 3 quest announcement remains intact: Dragon Slayer 2 is coming as a new questline. What has changed is the presentation around it. Jagex has removed the reveal video, opened an urgent inquiry into the external production partner and promised changes to how it reviews commissioned creative assets.

RuneFest also brought news of another RuneScape MMO

The AI controversy did not erase the rest of RuneFest's announcements. Among the news that drew a more positive reaction was confirmation that Jagex has a fourth RuneScape MMO in active development. A concept teaser was shown for the project, though the available information does not establish a release window, target platforms or further gameplay specifics.

That announcement reinforces how broad Jagex's ambitions are for the RuneScape brand, even as it works through an immediate communications and production problem. RuneScape 3 continues to receive new content, Old School RuneScape remains a major pillar of the franchise, and the studio is now publicly acknowledging another MMO project in development. Maintaining player confidence across that lineup will make consistency in its creative standards especially important.

The next steps are likely to be watched closely. Players are waiting for the findings of Jagex's investigation, more detail on its updated review process and a new, creator-led presentation for Dragon Slayer 2. Until then, the removed trailer stands as a reminder that policies on generative AI require more than public commitments. They also need careful vendor agreements, effective quality control and meaningful final approval before a piece of work carries an official game's name.