SonicFox, one of the biggest names in fighting game history, has pulled out of NEXCON 2026, a gaming convention set for November 14 and 15 in Norman, Oklahoma, after the event released a promotional poster made with artificial intelligence using the player’s likeness.
What happened
SonicFox was billed as a special guest. On October 20, they posted on X that they refused to have their likeness generated by AI and that their interest in attending had dropped to zero. The next day, they confirmed the contract had been terminated and that they would not attend, according to Kotaku and Dexerto.
The convention’s response
The organizers said they were working with real artists to fix the situation and intend to ban AI-made art. Reports differ on who made the poster: one outlet says the founder took responsibility, citing a lack of money to hire artists, while another attributes it to the venue. SonicFox did not change course, suggested the contract money be used to pay artists and left the door open to attending next year.
The case adds to a string of conventions banning AI-generated art, including San Diego Comic-Con, which barred such work from its 2026 art show.
Source: Kotaku and Dexerto.
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