- Activision has announced Guitar Hero Mobile with an AI-generated ad
- The game’s store page confirms the game “isn’t real, but could be some day” and is asking users for their interest through a survey
- Fans are calling Activision out for it’s continued use of AI in promotional ads
Activision has just announced Guitar Hero Mobile with what appears to be an AI-generated artwork, but the game isn’t even real.
The Call of Duty publisher revealed the first look at its new game for smartphones on its Instagram with a promotional advertisement. Guitar Hero Mobile‘s logo is front and centre, however, looking closer it’s quite obvious that the rest of the image is AI-generated.
The artwork features four figures standing on a stage holding guitars but they’re unrecognizable, the crowds on either side look sloppy, and the equipment in the background is misshapen. Not to mention the odd-looking colored guitar fret buttons that play a huge part in the rhythm game series.
A lot of fans were able to spot the post’s inconsistencies, and are now calling Activision out for its use of generative AI.
“A.I. Hero looks awesome,” one user said. “Gotta love a multi-million dollar company using AI to come back after their past banger games,” said another.
Over on Reddit, the responses aren’t much better.
“This genuinely looks horrendous. This is like 2-3 generations old as far as AI generated images are concerned,” one Redditor commented.
If the AI didn’t put you off, then perhaps the fact that Guitar Hero Mobile doesn’t even exist will.
The official download page on a website called Geeklab shows even more ai-generated images with a description that boasts a “fast-paced, competitve mobile rhythm game” where players “face off in real-time musical battles, hitting notes in sync with the music to climb the global leaderboards and become the ultimate rockstar”.
However, after clicking the “GET” link, it will take you to a survey that will thank users for their interest.
“This isn’t a real game, but could be some day!” it reads. “We’d love if you could answer this short survey, which could help inform the potential future of this game. Your feedback really matters to us!”
The Guitar Hero Mobile announcement is likely an attempt to gauge players’ interest.
Similarly, Activision did the same thing last month for a new Call of Duty mobile game called Call of Duty: Zombie Defender.
The advertisement on its Instagram account used AI-generative images, and the install button also led users to a survey with the aforementioned statement that stated it wasn’t “a real game”.
In other related news, Activision has finally admitted to using generative AI for some Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 assets (via IGN). After fans discovered evidence of the fact three months ago, Activision has now confirmed the use of AI to align with Steam’s new AI disclosure rules.
“Our team uses generative AI tools to help develop some in game assets,” the game’s Steam page now reads.
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