Square Enix has denied that the promotional artwork for its newly announced Kingdom Hearts Collection was generated using artificial intelligence, blaming the visual glitches players spotted on human error.

Fans had flagged irregularities in the collection's key art, including a detail straight out of a surrealist's sketchbook: Donald Duck appearing with four fingers on one hand and five on the other. The inconsistency led to online allegations that generative AI — software that creates images from text prompts — had been used to produce the artwork. A Square Enix PR representative told GameSpot that the assets were created by the development team without any generative AI, and that the issues resulted from human error. Updated artwork has since been implemented. (VGC, GameSpot)

The artwork dispute surrounds a substantial package. The Kingdom Hearts Collection bundles three previously released titles: Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 ReMIX, Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue, and Kingdom Hearts 3 + Re Mind. Together, they cover nearly the entire action-RPG series — a long-running crossover between Disney characters and original Square Enix heroes that began in 2002.

The collection launches on October 8, 2026, across Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Xbox PC. For Nintendo's new console, it marks a meaningful upgrade. Square Enix's earlier Kingdom Hearts releases on the original Switch were cloud editions — versions streamed over the internet rather than running natively, because the older hardware could not handle them. The Switch 2 versions run directly on the device. Players who purchased those cloud versions can carry their save data forward. (VGC)

The same announcement brought news for fans looking further ahead. Square Enix revealed new Kingdom Hearts 4 gameplay and confirmed the next main entry in the series will be available on Switch 2 on day one — meaning it launches on the console the same day as other platforms. (VGC)

For Kingdom Hearts fans, the collection represents a chance to own the full saga on current hardware, while the Kingdom Hearts 4 footage offers a first real look at where the series goes next. The AI art flap, meanwhile, is a reminder of how closely players now scrutinise promotional imagery — and how quickly a misdrawn hand can spark a broader debate about creative tools in game production.