TLDR: Capcom has disqualified a winning entry in its Street Fighter 6 art contest and replaced the artwork after reports and community scrutiny indicated the use of generative AI and potential tracing. The publisher cited contest rules requiring original work, opting for an in-house design to avoid further controversy.
Capcom, the renowned video game developer, has taken decisive action following a controversy surrounding its ‘Street Fighter 6 Art Contest: New Challenger Edition’. The winning artwork for the character Kimberly, submitted by a user identified as ‘lilithascends’, was disqualified and subsequently replaced after widespread accusations of generative AI utilization and plagiarism.
The contest, launched in June 2025, invited fans to create unique ‘Challenger screens’ for the game’s 26 characters, with winning entries slated for in-game inclusion. However, the selection of lilithascends’ Kimberly artwork quickly drew the ire of the community. Gamers and fellow artists pointed out numerous inconsistencies and tell-tale signs often associated with AI-generated imagery. These included ‘randomly drawn lines and irregular shapes’ , ‘pixelated edges in several areas’, ‘floating white dots’ suggesting improper cropping, and ‘awkward anatomy, including eyes cut off at strange angles’ . Further scrutiny revealed ‘eyebrows of differing shape and the placement of the earring’ .
Beyond the artwork itself, the artist’s online presence raised red flags. The X (formerly Twitter) account of ‘lilithascends’ was reportedly created shortly before the contest began, showed no prior activity, and featured only three submissions, each displaying radically different art styles. Following the accusations, the account was promptly deleted, further fueling suspicions . Investigations also suggested that the artist may have traced other illustrations .
In response to the mounting evidence and community outcry, Capcom disqualified the entry. The company explicitly stated that the submission violated Section 5 of its contest rules, which mandates that ‘The design must be the Entrant’s original creative work which has not been previously published or entered into other competitions’ .
To address the vacant spot and prevent further disputes, Capcom opted to replace the disqualified Kimberly artwork with an image designed by one of its own Street Fighter developers, rather than selecting another contestant’s submission. This decision was made to ‘risk more controversy’ . The community has largely welcomed Capcom’s firm stance against AI use in the competition, expressing satisfaction with the publisher’s commitment to originality and fair play .
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Street Fighter 6 has been a commercial success for Capcom, having sold over 5 million copies since its release in 2023 . This incident highlights the ongoing debate and challenges faced by creative industries in navigating the burgeoning landscape of generative AI.
