Nintendo has denied that generative AI was used in promotional photos for the My Mario toy line. The dispute surfaced after Nintendo posted campaign photos on social channels following its January 8, 2025 announcement that the US launch would arrive on February 19, 2025. Several viewers flagged strange-looking hands in some shots, and one viral post highlighted a single unusually long thumb.
Everyone’s talking about the one thumb but this one’s also abnormally long and weird (fingers too) pic.twitter.com/HZtBKm1HJK
— Yelowin (@Yelowin1) January 10, 2026
One of the campaign models, Brittoni O’myah Sinclair, also commented on Nintendo’s Instagram to deny that generative AI was used in her photo. Nintendo’s statement to Insider Gaming backs that denial. The conversation arrives as generative AI tools keep showing up in gaming and art debates. For example, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 was stripped of awards at The Indie Game Awards over Gen AI use, and Larian Studios has said it will avoid Gen AI for concept art and dialogue.
Nintendo has recently addressed generative AI questions in other contexts as well. The company previously denied contacting the Japanese government about generative AI after a lobbying claim, which it discussed publicly in October 2025. More on that is available from Console & PC Gaming.
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