Is Activision’s ‘AI Slop’ Guitar Hero Ad a Clever Market Test for a Nonexistent Game?

Activision’s recent social media post about a new Guitar Hero game isn’t an official announcement. Instead, it’s a clever market research tactic for a game that doesn’t actually exist, according to Eurogamer.

This faux advertisement, criticized for its poorly created images, is part of a broader experiment being conducted on Activision’s social media. They’ve also teased non-existent smartphone games in other franchises like Call of Duty and Crash Bandicoot.

If you click on these fake ads, you may find a mock mobile store page, set up by the marketing firm Geeklab. It leads to a survey that tells you, “this isn’t a real game, but it could be someday!”

The survey asks questions about what caught your eye in the ad and what features you might want in the imagined game.

Activision has also promoted other made-up titles like “Call of Duty: Zombie Defender” and “Crash Bandicoot: Brawl” across their Instagram and Facebook accounts.

The art for these games shows clear signs of AI involvement. Some characters look oddly drawn, like one that seems to be missing part of its face.

Whether these Guitar Hero, Crash Bandicoot, or Call of Duty mobile games will become a reality remains uncertain. If they do, let’s hope Activision employs real artists for the job.

Recently, Activision even added a note on the Steam page for Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, acknowledging that some game elements were developed using generative AI. Players have already spotted quirky examples, such as a zombie character with six fingers.