Official promotional art for the newly announced Kingdom Hearts Collection (1-3) has drawn attention for a peculiar detail: Donald Duck appears to have five fingers on his right hand, deviating from his typical four-fingered design. This anomaly, first highlighted by Tracker_TD on the social platform Bluesky, has ignited discussions among fans and observers regarding the potential use of artificial intelligence in the creation of the artwork.
While some press images accompanying the announcement obscure Donald's hand, the discrepancy is visible in artwork shared by the official Kingdom Hearts account on X and on the Square Enix website. Close examination of the art reveals Donald with three fingers on his right hand and four, including a thumb, on his left. Comparisons to other versions of the art, such as one shared on Bluesky, suggest that the original iteration may have featured the correct number of digits, while the version with the extra finger is still presented as official.
Beyond the issue with Donald's hands, other visual quirks have been noted. Sora's hand in the same artwork has also been described as unusual, though it appears to possess the correct finger count. Some commenters suggest that background elements in the art exhibit a level of detail that is inconsistent or "lazy," which they interpret as further evidence of AI generation. These observations collectively contribute to speculation that generative AI tools may have been employed in producing the promotional material.
The Kingdom Hearts Collection (1-3) is slated for release on PC and consoles. However, its current announcement is for the Microsoft Store, with no listing yet on Steam. This platform choice is significant, as Steam's policies require disclosure of AI-generated content, unlike the Microsoft Store. A representative for Square Enix was contacted for comment regarding the potential use of generative AI in the artwork.
This situation adds to a growing trend of promotional materials exhibiting subtle inconsistencies that have led to accusations of AI use. The visible anomaly in the Kingdom Hearts artwork serves as a prominent example, prompting questions about the production processes behind game-related visuals in an era of rapidly advancing AI technology.