It was recently noticed that an advertisement for a new ‘Guitar Hero Mobile’ title had been surreptitiously uploaded to Activision’s official Instagram channel. While the post has since been hidden, it can still be accessed if you have the link. The ad, which bears shockingly obvious AI art, claims that a new Guitar Hero Mobile game will be released in 2025.
Fans of the franchise were quick to criticise the use of AI art, which is staring you in the face from the post on Instagram. This isn’t the first time, even in the last few weeks, that Activision has drawn criticism for using AI art in games.
Play Your Way
In a post on Instagram, Activision revealed Guitar Hero Mobile with the tagline:
‘Play your way – Guitar Hero goes mobile’
Everything about the image just smacks of generative AI, sucking the soul of Guitar Hero clean out of the proposal. It leads us to question how long it would have taken for a human artist to create the same image, which is just a band on a stage with the traditional Guitar Hero prompt bar beneath it.
Bizarrely, the image shows a band featuring four guitarists, no drummer, no vocalist, and the prompt bar has two blue paths.
It’s like they want us to hate them.
In September 2024, I reported on Phil Spencer’s revelation that he regrets passing on Destiny and Guitar Hero many years ago. The industry veteran revealed that he could have pulled an exclusivity deal on these titles, but he didn’t believe Guitar Hero, the arcade game with plastic instruments, would ‘work’.
Since Guitar Hero disappeared from the market, Fortnite Festival has stepped up to fill the void. Released in 2023, Fortnite Festival is a Guitar Hero-styled game that invites users to enjoy a similar experience, complete with licensed soundtracks. From 2024 onwards, peripheral companies started manufacturing plastic guitars to be used in Fortnite Festival.
What do you think about the Guitar Hero Mobile ad? Does the obvious AI art get under your skin? Let me know in the comments.
For more Insider Gaming coverage, check out the news that the Twisted Metal reboot would have been a battle royale game.
Ughnn this series was always trash put it back where it belongs!
Forget this make a new Def Jam already!!!
This but we can’t get a new True Crime or a new Def Jam like FFNY we need those not this! We need a new SSX too and other 3D fighters like Dead Or Alive and Bloody Roar and Sonic Adventure style games. Kingdom Hearts clones would be great too and more GTA clones Sleeping Dogs.