Is Activision Planning to Create New Big Games Using AI?

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 rather than excitement.

Image: apple.com

The initial ad for Guitar Hero Mobile, appearing on Activision's social media and linking to an App Store pre-order page, featured unsettling, unnatural imagery. This quickly led to widespread discussion, revealing similar AI-generated art in ads for Crash Bandicoot Brawl and Call of Duty Mobile. While initial speculation pointed to a hack, Activision later confirmed this was a deliberate, albeit unconventional, marketing experiment.

Image: apple.com

The gaming community reacted negatively, criticizing Activision's reliance on generative AI instead of professional artists and designers. Concerns arose about the potential for AI-generated content to lower the quality of games, leading to comparisons with Electronic Arts and its history of controversial decisions.

image: apple.com

Activision's use of AI in development and marketing is increasingly contentious. The company has already confirmed AI's role in creating content for Call of Duty: Black Ops 6.

Following the backlash, some promotional posts were removed. Whether Activision intends to release these games or simply gauged audience reaction with this provocative marketing strategy remains uncertain.