Recent discussions among fans have centered on claims that artwork shared by Blizzard’s Diablo Immortal social media accounts may be the result of generative AI. The piece in question depicts a character from Warcraft engaging in a game of Hearthstone against a character from Diablo Immortal, promoting an upcoming crossover event.

What Sparked the Controversy?

A Reddit user, Ipyreable, emphasized that certain characteristics of the art, particularly the depiction of the ear, do not appear to be human-like. Additional peculiarities include items that seem misplaced, such as slices of bread sitting on the table without a plate, and anomalies with how the hand interacts with the background.

This new art pair was meant to promote a special event, yet, intriguingly, while the Diablo Immortal accounts have shared the image, Hearthstone’s have not, leading some to speculate about the nature of the art.

“That’s so disappointing and disgusting. Hearthstone’s pride is its artwork, why do this!?” – Reddit user comment.

While Blizzard has been scrutinized for potentially relying on AI-generated art before, no official confirmation has been made regarding this new piece. The game developer is under pressure to clarify whether generative AI has been used in this context, especially given their previous investigation into AI claims.