100 Thieves has apologized after fans accused the organization of using AI in its upcoming Old School RuneScape merchandise collaboration.
The organization teased the project on September 29 with a video showing a model wearing a black shirt covered in RuneScape skill and interface icons, alongside a red “100/99” graphic. The collaboration is scheduled to be revealed on October 2.
[New User] [Existing User]
– Old School RuneScape + 100 Thieves
Fans quickly began pointing out strange details in the design, including a hockey mask in the Prayer slot, a cross-like Defence icon, a double-ended Fletching arrow, and several warped or unrecognizable symbols. Many players argued that the shirt looked like an AI-generated image that had never been properly checked.
The backlash grew after gaming creator Jake Lucky shared a first look at the collection. According to OSRS player Lainezor, both posts were later deleted after fans called out the apparent AI use.
Both 100 thieves and Jake Lucky dirty deleted their posts after they got called out for using AI in their Old School RuneScape account but I managed to catch the screenshots first 😁😁
– pic.twitter.com/piFFe2bLb4
100 Thieves says AI was used in a last-minute edit
100 Thieves addressed the controversy on September 30, opening its statement with, “We messed up.”
The organization said it began working with Jagex on the collaboration in July and had slightly more than a month to design, approve, and manufacture the apparel. It claimed that multiple graphic designers were brought in to meet the deadline.
According to 100 Thieves, one designer used AI to “hurriedly edit” the shirt during the final stage of production. The organization then pushed a sample into production for the photoshoot without catching the AI-generated elements.
100 Thieves said the design was supposed to celebrate Old School RuneScape and RuneFest, but admitted that the controversy had overshadowed the project.
We messed up.
– Our collaboration with RuneScape is a passion project that brought together people from across 100 Thieves to create a celebration of OSRS and RuneFest.
The organization also said that “AI has no place in our apparel design,” adding that this was a principle shared by Jagex, whose games and artwork are built around human creativity.
100 Thieves apologized to the OSRS community and said it is working with Jagex to “make things right.” It has not yet clarified whether the shirt will be redesigned, scrapped, or removed from the collection entirely.
The controversy follows recent backlash against Mighty Mike Plays’ AI-assisted merchandise, while Jagex has also recently dealt with an AI-made RuneScape clone that was taken offline after a takedown request.
100 Thieves’ statement confirms that AI was used on at least part of the teased shirt, but the company has not suggested that the entire collaboration was generated using AI.
I’m Abhishek Sharma, an author at TigerJek.com. I enjoy exploring games, testing different strategies, and turning what I learn into clear, useful guides. My goal is to help players understand the game better and improve without the usual confusion.
