Controversy has rocked a recent Street Fighter 6 art contest, following accusations that one of the winning entries was made using AI. Capcom has since disqualified the piece in question, pointing to a rule that explicitly bans AI contributions.
The art piece in question was created by user Lilithascends on X (formerly known as Twitter), who has since deleted their social media accounts following public accusations for other users. In response to these events, Capcom released the following statement on social media and the art contest website:
“We want to extend a big thanks to everyone who participated in the latest Street Fighter Art Contest New Challenger Edition. Unfortunately, we have determined that one of the winning entries violated contest rules, specifically Section 5 pertaining to: Entry Submission and Design Requirements.
It’s worth noting that the section mentioned above – Entry Submission and Design Requirements – outright prohibits the use of AI, and states: “The design must be the Entrant’s original creative work which has not been previously published or entered into other competitions.”
The statement from Capcom continues: “After careful review and discussion, we have decided to disqualify the entry in question.
“Please note that the entry in question will remain available for voting in the Battle Hub until the end of the voting period. We want to thank those who participated in voting for the entry in question. While the entry in question has been disqualified, we will provide a replacement illustration for the featured character at a later date.”
Their art piece was of Kimberly, depicted colourfully in a street-art style. This piece, as well as a number of other community submissions, were eligible for a community vote on which of the chosen pieces would make it into Street Fighter 6’s third season. These art contests have been an ongoing community event that has taken place since the launch of Street Fighter 6.
Social media users who took a look back at the accused artist’s prior works, including fellow artist chupabaraa, found prior art pieces that raised red flags for those levying accusations at Lilithascends, including stark similarities to the work of other artists.
Is there a silver lining to these shenanigans? Well, one lucky person will have their work taking up the now-empty spot in the community art contest, which is nice. We’ve also seen beloved FGC artist Hungry Clicker put out their own Kimberly portrait in response, which is stunning. Also, for the artists battling to win this and future Street Fighter 6 art contests, it’s surely a warm feeling to know Capcom is willing to stand firm against AI use.