League of Legends: Wild Rift Backlash Ignites After Fans Call Out ‘Fever Dream’ AI Trailer

Riot Games and parent company Tencent have come under fire after fans noticed they allegedly published a shocking AI-generated trailer for League of Legends: Wild Rift.

Reddit user Winter_underdog was one of the first to share the footage, calling attention to what is said to be a two-minute trailer for the League of Legends spinoff’s third anniversary. Riot allegedly published the footage on Chinese social media website Weibo before removing it following uproar from players. There’s at least no trace of an AI trailer for League of Legends: Wild Rift on Weibo at the moment, but that hasn’t stopped fans from republishing it elsewhere.

https://twitter.com/AroushTheKween/status/1952415263464603741?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

The video above features elements that one may find in some of the most blatant AI-generated content out there, including strange facial expressions, bizarre eye movement, and visuals that look like a cobbled together Pixar film. Although recognizable faces like Jinx, Seraphine, and Aurora also appear, it’s not always easy to pin down what exactly they’re doing as the group puts on what seems to be a KPop Demon Hunters-inspired concert for League of Legends: Wild Rift fans.

“Oh ew, who are those skinwalkers ??” one Reddit user said.

“What in the league of legends fever dream is this,” another added.

https://twitter.com/TellahH/status/1952482095990980977?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

It’s not just the look of the League of Legends: Wild Rift trailer that has fans suspicious that artificial intelligence played a role in its creation. Audio for the video is also a bit off-putting as it leads up to a song with similarly questionable lyrics.

No matter how you spin it, fans are not happy with the video circulating online and what it means for how Riot is approaching League of Legends: Wild Rift. While some are happy writing off the third-anniversary video as “bootleg KPop Demon Hunters,” others are concerned about what the future of League of Legends looks like.

“Why fk around with AI when you have proper animators?” one user added. “Using this much AI is disrespectful not only for the fans but towards the animation industry.”

https://twitter.com/Xaykawa/status/1952450150183661806?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

IGN has reached out to Riot for comment.

Companies across the globe have mostly adopted the use of AI-generated content in their products and marketing strategies as the technology has improved throughout the last five years. Although fans have been particularly vocal when it comes to how Riot may be using AI to fuel its games, it’s far from the first entity in the gaming space to double down on it.

Activision admitted to using AI for some Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 content after being called out by fans earlier this year. Ark: Survival Evolved fans were also quick to point out AI spotted in a trailer for one of its new expansions.

While companies like Microsoft move forward with plans to integrate AI into its digital ecosystem, not everyone is onboard with the role artificial intelligence could play in the future. Minecraft developer Mojang said in March that it has no plans to include AI in its development process. Meanwhile, NieR director Yoko Taro has warned that game developers will lose jobs because of the technology as it progresses.

Michael Cripe is a freelance writer with IGN. He’s best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).