Summary
Wizards of the Coastjust admitted to accidentally using AI art in one of its recentMagic: The Gatheringmarketing campaigns. This came only weeks afterWizards of the Coastdoubled down on its commitment against using AI artwork.
Recently, Wizards of the Coast previewed someMagic: The Gatheringcards from the Ravnica Remastered set in a series of steampunk backdrops. Sharp-eyed fans noticed some inconsistencies and details in the backgrounds of these ads that seemed to be AI-generated, andaccusedMagic: The Gatheringof going back on its promise to not use AI art. Wizards of the Coast went on to assert the art was hand-drawn, and claimed it had conferred with the artist to confirm it as such.
However, it seems like Wizards of the Coast discovered fans were right soon after this assertion. On the officialMagic: The GatheringTwitter, it recently shared a thread admitting it had made a mistake. According to the post, the vendor had used AI components found within some industry tools to create these ads.Wizards of the Coast went on to reaffirm its stance against AI art, and further amended its promise to forbid the use of the technology in marketing images as well as in its final products.
Timeline of Recent Wizards of the Coast Controversies
Wizards of the Coast has lost a lot of favor with fans over the last year. Between theD&DOGL controversy, the PinkertonMTGincident,the Hasbro layoffs, and its multiple AI art controversies, it has received a lot of negative press lately. This most recent incident is simply another one added to the pile of grievances many have against the company.
Needless to say, fans aren’t happy withMagic: The Gatheringright now. Though the factWizards of the Coast is standing against AI artinspires hope with some, the fact it continues to slip up and use AI art in the first place does not. The company will have to be careful moving forward if it wants to rebuild trust with its fans in the future.
