Advertisements for four unverified Activision mobile games–Guitar Hero Mobile, Call of Duty: Sniper, Call of Duty: Zombies Defender, and Crash Bandicoot Brawl–reportedly showcase what players believe to be AI-generated artwork.
This information comes just a few days after Activision acknowledged the use of AI-generated assets in Black Ops 6. Additionally, it seems that these mobile games might not actually exist, as only Guitar Hero Mobile has been officially recognized on Activision’s social platforms.
The ads for these speculated games are said to be running on Facebook and Instagram and include a link to a survey where gamers can express their views on the titles, which have not yet been launched.
The Guitar Hero Mobile advertisement in particular seems to have genuinely disturbed players who have seen it. The artwork for the game features four strangely shaped guitar players, each holding an unusually shaped red guitar. The bizarre appearance of the ads does not seem like a result of Activision experimenting with a new artistic style, rather it showcases what players think are the traits of AI-generated art: blurry, oddly proportioned, and incoherent elements.
Even more peculiar, it appears that these mobile games may not actually exist. Guitar Hero Mobile, Crash Bandicoot Brawl, and the Call of Duty titles have yet to be formally announced by Activision, and Guitar Hero Mobile is the only game with an ad visible outside of Facebook and Instagram advertisements.
Sharp-eyed fans managed to uncover a Guitar Hero Mobile page on Geeklab, a mobile marketing platform designed to assist developers in gauging player interest. Geeklab’s site states that it is intended to “create app store pages before the app is launched, test product pages, analyze competitors, generate assets, conduct surveys, perform A/B tests, and optimize app stores.” Clicking “get” on the Guitar Hero Mobile page takes players to a survey (also hosted on the Geeklab site).
The two Call of Duty