The gaming leak scene just got a harsh reality check. Those detailed Resident Evil 9 character renders that flooded social media this week and sparked countless discussions? Completely fabricated using artificial intelligence. Twitter users tracked down the original creator, a account going by @idontknow_17292 and SpookyHoo, who’s apparently built a reputation for generating AI slop and passing it off as legitimate leaks. The revelation doesn’t just embarrass people who shared the images as fact. It casts serious doubt on other claims from the same source, including alleged Silent Hill 1 Remake and Half-Life: Xen announcements supposedly planned for The Game Awards 2025.
How the Fake Got Exposed
The detective work happened fast once people started looking closely. Multiple Twitter users and Reddit investigators noticed telltale signs of AI generation in the renders that were being shared as official leaks. The smoking gun came when someone tracked down the original source and found that SpookyHoo had a history of creating AI-enhanced images, often taking legitimate screenshots and running them through generative AI tools to create entirely fabricated content.
One of the most obvious giveaways appeared in the supposed Leon Kennedy render. Background elements included what appeared to be Funko Pop figures, but upon closer inspection, they were completely nonsensical. The proportions were wrong, the details were muddy, and they had that distinctive AI-generated quality where things look vaguely correct from a distance but fall apart under scrutiny. The character models themselves, despite appearing high-quality at first glance, featured anatomical inconsistencies and texture artifacts consistent with AI generation.
What Was Actually Real vs Fake
This situation gets confusing because not everything was fake. The Leon Kennedy image that appeared on the PlayStation Store showing him standing behind Grace Ashcroft on updated cover art was completely legitimate. Multiple outlets including IGN verified those screenshots, and they represent an accidental leak from Sony’s own digital storefront. Leon is genuinely in Resident Evil 9: Requiem, and the PlayStation Store slip-up confirmed it days before Capcom’s planned Game Awards reveal.
However, the detailed character renders that followed, allegedly showing Leon and other characters in high-resolution glory, were fabrications. Someone apparently took the legitimate PlayStation Store leak and decided to capitalize on the hype by generating fake detailed renders using AI tools. The scheme worked for about 48 hours before the community figured it out. Now everything from that source, including the character renders and various other game announcements, should be treated with massive skepticism.
| Content | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Leon on PS Store Cover Art | Real | PlayStation Store accidental leak |
| Detailed RE9 Character Renders | Fake (AI Generated) | SpookyHoo / @idontknow_17292 |
| Silent Hill 1 Remake at TGA | Questionable | Same source as fake renders |
| Half-Life: Xen Announcement | Questionable | Same source as fake renders |
The Previous Eyepatch Leon Fake
This isn’t even the first time fake AI-generated Leon content has circulated for Resident Evil 9. Back in September 2025, an image supposedly showing Leon with an eyepatch made the rounds on 4Chan and Reddit before spreading everywhere. That image claimed to be an in-game screenshot with Japanese text describing Capcom’s character modeling process, complete with a big red CONFIDENTIAL stamp for that authentic leak aesthetic.
Resident Evil 9 producer Masato Kumazawa personally addressed that fake during a November interview, explicitly calling it out as fake news. He mentioned the eyepatch Leon photo specifically and stated unequivocally that it was fabricated. Kumazawa also spoke about the proliferation of AI-generated fake images on the internet and how they’ve become a significant problem for developers trying to manage legitimate marketing campaigns. Despite his denial, the image continued circulating in certain corners of the internet for weeks.
Why AI Fakes Are Killing Leak Culture
The community reaction to this revelation has been overwhelmingly negative, and for good reason. Creating convincing fake leaks used to require significant effort, artistic skill, and technical knowledge. The infamous Grinch leak for Super Smash Bros Ultimate involved an elaborate fake printing company banner, edited artwork, and a complex backstory. It was still fake, but at least someone put work into it. The poorly edited character roster images for early Smash games required Photoshop skills and attention to detail.
Now anyone with access to free AI image generators can pump out convincing-looking renders in minutes. There’s no skill barrier, no time investment, and minimal effort required. This democratization of fake content creation has flooded gaming communities with synthetic garbage. Multiple Reddit users expressed frustration that leak culture has devolved into an arms race where legitimate information gets drowned out by an endless stream of AI-generated slop.
The Silent Hill and Half-Life Claims
What makes this situation particularly frustrating is that the same source who posted the fake RE9 renders also claimed to have insider information about other major announcements. Specifically, they suggested Silent Hill 1 Remake would appear at The Game Awards 2025, and that a Half-Life project codenamed Xen would be revealed. Both of these claims gained traction because they seemed plausible and aligned with existing industry rumors.
Silent Hill 1 Remake is a real project that Konami and Bloober Team officially announced in June 2025. Other credible sources including MasGamers and separate leakers have also suggested a Game Awards appearance. However, the fact that SpookyHoo claimed the same thing doesn’t add credibility to the rumor. If anything, it makes people more skeptical because the source has now been exposed as unreliable.
The Half-Life: Xen claim is more interesting because there’s been no official acknowledgment of such a project. Valve has remained characteristically silent about Half-Life-related developments since Half-Life: Alyx launched in 2020. A project codenamed Xen would presumably relate to the alien dimension from the original Half-Life, but without corroboration from other reliable sources, this claim should be treated as pure speculation at best and complete fabrication at worst.
How to Spot AI Generated Leaks
As AI image generation becomes more sophisticated, spotting fakes gets harder, but there are still telltale signs to watch for. Look closely at text in images, as AI struggles with consistent lettering and often produces gibberish that looks like text from a distance. Check hands, fingers, and complex anatomical features, which AI frequently mangles. Background elements often contain impossible geometry or objects that don’t make physical sense.
Texture consistency is another giveaway. AI-generated images often have areas that are overly smooth or impossibly detailed, with no middle ground. Lighting sometimes comes from multiple contradictory directions, creating shadows that don’t match. Metallic surfaces and reflections frequently look wrong because AI doesn’t truly understand material properties. And perhaps most importantly, consider the source. If someone has a history of posting questionable content or appears out of nowhere with exclusive information, treat their claims with heavy skepticism.
The Broader Problem
This incident represents a microcosm of a larger issue facing gaming communities and creative industries generally. As The Guardian reported in June 2025, even legitimate developers are being falsely accused of using AI when they haven’t, because players have become so sensitive to synthetic content that they see it everywhere. Trust has eroded to the point where authentic artwork gets questioned, and actual AI slop sometimes slips through unnoticed.
A report from mid-2025 claimed that nearly one in five games released on Steam used AI-generated content to some degree. Whether that’s for placeholder assets, procedural generation, or marketing materials, AI has become embedded in game development pipelines. The problem isn’t AI technology itself, but rather the weaponization of it to create misleading content that wastes people’s time and pollutes information ecosystems with garbage.
What Actually Happens December 11
The Game Awards 2025 takes place on December 11, and we’ll finally get answers about what’s real and what’s fake. Resident Evil 9: Requiem will almost certainly appear given the PlayStation Store leak already confirmed Leon’s involvement. Whether Capcom shows a full trailer or just acknowledges his presence remains to be seen, but the cat’s out of the bag either way. The game launches February 27, 2026 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.
As for Silent Hill 1 Remake, multiple credible sources beyond the discredited SpookyHoo have suggested it might appear. Bloober Team and Konami announced the project in June 2025 with just a logo reveal, and six months later is reasonable timing for a proper trailer. But if it doesn’t show up, the SpookyHoo connection will be cited as evidence that the rumor was always bogus. Half-Life: Xen getting announced seems extraordinarily unlikely unless Valve has managed to keep an entire project under wraps, which would be impressive even by their standards of secrecy.
FAQs
Were all the RE9 leaks fake?
No, the Leon Kennedy image that appeared on the PlayStation Store showing him on the game’s cover art was completely legitimate. However, the detailed character renders that followed were AI-generated fakes created by Twitter user SpookyHoo.
Who is SpookyHoo?
SpookyHoo, also known as @idontknow_17292 on Twitter, is a user known for creating AI-enhanced images and passing them off as legitimate leaks. They have a history of producing low-quality synthetic content that gets shared widely before being debunked.
Is Leon actually in Resident Evil 9?
Yes, Leon Kennedy is confirmed for Resident Evil 9: Requiem via the legitimate PlayStation Store leak. The updated cover art showing him behind Grace Ashcroft was verified by multiple outlets including IGN. However, the detailed character renders were fake.
What about the eyepatch Leon image from September?
That was also fake. RE9 producer Masato Kumazawa personally addressed it in a November interview, explicitly calling it fake news and discussing the problem of AI-generated fake images circulating online.
Is Silent Hill 1 Remake appearing at Game Awards?
Unknown. Multiple credible sources have suggested it might, but the fact that SpookyHoo also claimed this casts doubt. Silent Hill 1 Remake is a real project announced by Konami and Bloober Team in June 2025, but whether it appears December 11 remains unconfirmed.
What is Half-Life: Xen?
According to SpookyHoo, it’s a Half-Life project supposedly being announced at The Game Awards. However, given the source’s credibility issues and no corroboration from other reliable insiders, this should be treated as highly speculative or outright false.
How can I spot AI-generated fake leaks?
Look for inconsistent text, mangled hands and fingers, impossible background geometry, inconsistent lighting and shadows, and unnatural textures. Also consider the source’s track record and whether the information has been corroborated by other reliable insiders.
Why are AI fakes such a problem?
They require minimal effort to create but flood communities with misinformation, making it harder to identify legitimate leaks. This erodes trust and wastes everyone’s time trying to sort real information from synthetic garbage.
Can developers do anything about AI fake leaks?
Not much beyond addressing them directly when they gain traction, as Capcom did with the eyepatch Leon image. The technology is freely accessible and constantly improving, making enforcement nearly impossible.
Conclusion
The exposure of SpookyHoo’s AI-generated RE9 renders serves as a cautionary tale about the current state of gaming leak culture. What used to require skill, effort, and genuine insider access can now be fabricated by anyone with access to free AI tools and a willingness to mislead people. The legitimate Leon Kennedy confirmation from the PlayStation Store got overshadowed by synthetic garbage that spread just as quickly and convinced just as many people initially. Moving forward, the gaming community needs to be more skeptical of unverified renders and more demanding of proof before signal-boosting alleged leaks. The old adage trust but verify has never been more relevant, except now verification requires technical knowledge to spot AI artifacts that most casual observers won’t notice. The Game Awards on December 11 will separate fact from fiction for RE9, Silent Hill, and whatever else gets announced. Until then, if something looks too good to be true or comes from a source with no established credibility, it probably is. Save your hype for official announcements and verified leaks from journalists with proven track records. Everything else is just noise, and increasingly, that noise is generated by algorithms designed to fool you.