Jagex Pulls RuneScape Dragon Slayer 2 Trailer After Players Spot AI Artifacts

Jagex Faces Second Generative AI Controversy in Days

Jagex pulled the Dragon Slayer 2 quest trailer for RuneScape 3 after players identified obvious generative AI artifacts during the annual RuneFest convention. The trailer, which debuted over the weekend, featured a knight with a six-fingered hand and what appeared to be medieval Air Jordans—clear indicators of AI-generated content1

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. This marks the second time in quick succession that AI allegations have surfaced through Jagex's third-party collaborations, following a similar incident with 100 Thieves just days earlier3

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Social media manager Alex Sween addressed the community outrage on Reddit, stating the trailer was produced by a trusted external partner who had explicitly confirmed generative AI would not be used. "Among other things, there's a sixth finger and, well, that's pretty hard to explain away. For that we apologise," Sween wrote4

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. The apology comes mere days after Jagex reaffirmed its hard line stance against AI, with Sween previously stating: "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"1

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Community Backlash and Trust Issues

The timing proved particularly damaging for Jagex. Just days before RuneFest, the studio had apologized for AI use in an Old School RuneScape T-shirt design created through a collaboration with 100 Thieves. "The design clearly had AI in it and we missed it," 100 Thieves acknowledged on September 303

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. When the Dragon Slayer 2 trailer incident occurred immediately after, players questioned how marketing materials for RuneScape's biggest annual event could be shipped without thorough review3

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Player reactions ranged from sympathetic to skeptical. Some Reddit users expressed understanding, with Wildest12 commenting: "Great response overall here man. Got dealt a shit hand and youre handling it"2

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. Others remained unconvinced. "You literally didn't even watch the trailer before it was posted," wrote Ok_Project_8078. "Even if an external partner made it, how do you explain that?"2

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. Sween responded to accusations of dishonesty, stating: "I didn't knowingly lie, I feel awful, and I understand why you'd think the way you do. It's crap"3

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Jagex Commits to Overhaul Review Processes

Recognizing systemic failures in its quality control, Jagex announced immediate changes to prevent future AI artifacts from slipping through. "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," the studio stated1

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. The company will overhaul review processes immediately following RuneFest and commission creators from the community to ensure Dragon Slayer 2's story receives proper treatment4

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Jagex product SVP James Dobrowski had previously promised in January 2026 that "no generative AI will ever be present in any asset that a player can touch, hear or feel"3

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. The repeated failures with external partners now cast doubt on other RuneScape announcements, with YouTube comments on the Temple of Ah Za Rhoon reveal also questioning potential AI use3

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What This Means for RuneScape's Future

Despite the controversy surrounding player-facing assets, other RuneFest announcements proceeded successfully. Jagex revealed RuneScape 4, a new MMO built in Unreal Engine, and announced an animated adaptation in partnership with YouTuber MoistCr1tikal4

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. The studio also unveiled Reignited, a version of RuneScape with new HD visuals1

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Watch whether Jagex's promised process changes actually prevent future incidents. The studio must demonstrate concrete improvements in vetting third-party collaborations if it wants to rebuild player trust. The Dragon Slayer 2 quest itself remains highly anticipated—it's a sequel to one of the most iconic quests in MMO history that already exists in Old School RuneScape2

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. How Jagex handles the re-release of this trailer will signal whether it can maintain its stated values while working with external partners.