Jagex has taken down the cinematic trailer for Dragon Slayer II, a quest coming to RuneScape, after players watching RuneFest 2026 spotted signs of generative AI, including a hand with six fingers. The studio’s statement, posted to the Old School RuneScape subreddit and quoted in full by Eurogamer, puts the blame on an outside vendor and admits its own review process failed.
“We’re aware of the concerns raised about the Dragon Slayer 2 trailer and have taken it down, while we investigate urgently,” Jagex wrote in its Reddit statement. “This trailer was produced by a trusted external partner who had explicitly confirmed that GenAI would not be used. But, among other things, there’s a sixth finger and, well, that’s pretty hard to explain away. For that we apologise.”
The trailer was a sketch-style cinematic reveal for the quest. Besides the extra finger, Eurogamer notes that players picked out footwear that looked a lot like a pair of modern sneakers in a medieval fantasy scene. Jagex did not name the partner that made the video.
The timing made it worse. Only days earlier, Jagex staff had restated the studio’s anti-GenAI position after a third-party apparel collaboration was criticized for AI-made designs. Jagex points to that run of incidents itself: “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.”
Jagex says it will overhaul its review processes right after RuneFest and will “work with and commission creators from the community” so the Dragon Slayer II story is presented properly. Its stated policy hasn’t changed: it does not use GenAI to create its games, artwork, or creative assets, and “will not knowingly allow it to be used on our behalf.”
The controversy took some of the shine off a big weekend for the studio, which also used RuneFest to lay out plans across its lineup. That includes RuneScape: Dragonwilds, which hit 1.0 on PC and consoles in September. Other publishers have also been drawing public lines on AI. Saber, for example, said it will not allow GenAI in Space Marine 3 licenses.
For now, the confirmed facts are the pulled trailer, Jagex’s apology, and its promise to tighten review after RuneFest. Dragon Slayer II’s quest timing remains whatever Jagex has already put on the public roadmap — nothing new was dated in the apology.
