The recently revealed cover art for the Nintendo Switch 2 version of "Kingdom Hearts Collection [I-III]" has ignited a fiery debate among fans. At first glance, the artwork appears to be a standard ensemble featuring Donald Duck, Goofy, Mickey, and multiple iterations of Sora representing the first three main "Kingdom Hearts" titles. However, a closer look by some eagle-eyed players has uncovered what they suspect are tell-tale signs of Generative AI assistance.
The controversy first flared up over Donald Duck's left hand, which fans pointed out has five fingers. While perfectly normal for most characters, it's a glaring inconsistency with classic Disney character design. Following this discovery, players began spotting other anomalies: peculiar gears in the background clock tower, odd details on Donald's zipper, and unusual patterns on Sora's boot soles. These inconsistencies, many argue, bear the hallmarks of errors commonly produced by Generative AI when processing intricate details.
Naturally, this has led many to question whether the cover is largely AI-generated or a patchwork of multiple AI-created assets. Some fans even suggested that certain characters appear to be 3D game models converted into an illustrated style, fueling further discussion on whether AI was used to mimic a hand-drawn aesthetic.
However, DekuDraws, a net artist familiar with "Kingdom Hearts" designer Tetsuya Nomura's distinctive style, offered a different perspective. On X (formerly Twitter), he declared, "This is undoubtedly Nomura's work!" He theorized that the complete illustration might have originally been composed in a way that Sora obscured Donald's correct four-fingered hand. Later, for the purpose of creating different cover versions, AI might have been employed to separate or recombine the characters.
DekuDraws also noted that this new art style closely resembles Nomura's Halloween illustration from October 2025. He believes the underlying original artwork is indeed Nomura's creation, with any suspected AI traces likely appearing during the post-production or asset adjustment phases.
Square Enix has yet to issue an official statement regarding the matter. However, given the company's executives have previously expressed a keen interest in actively utilizing Generative AI, this cover controversy has once again amplified player concerns about large game companies employing AI to assist with their art pipelines.