Activision surprised gamers with advertisements for new projects based on its popular franchises: Guitar Hero, Crash Bandicoot, and Call of Duty. However, the ads themselves, generated using neural networks, sparked controversy.
Image: apple.com
The first ad, promoting Guitar Hero Mobile and linking to an App Store pre-order page, appeared on Activision's social media. The unusual, artificial imagery immediately drew attention and sparked online discussions. Similar AI-generated art soon surfaced in ads for Crash Bandicoot Brawl and Call of Duty Mobile, initially leading to speculation of hacked accounts. Activision later confirmed this was a deliberate marketing experiment.
Image: apple.com
The gaming community's response was largely negative. Many criticized Activision's use of generative AI over professional artists, fearing a decline in quality, even drawing comparisons to Electronic Arts' controversial practices.
image: apple.com
Activision's use of AI in development and marketing is increasingly contentious. The company has confirmed AI's role in creating content for Call of Duty: Black Ops 6.
Following the backlash, some promotional posts were removed. Whether these games will actually launch or if this was a purely experimental reaction test remains uncertain.
