Fake Guitar Hero Game Teased by Activision - And Somebody Needs to Get Fired

Warning: This story will only make you angrier the more you read.

Everyone's "favorite" game publisher, Activision, has been sitting on an absolute goldmine for years but refusing to actually do anything with it. I'm, of course, talking about Guitar Hero—one of my all-time favorite franchises. It's been nearly 20 years since Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock came out, marking the peak of rhythm gaming, and almost a full decade since Guitar Hero Live, an experimental and ultimately failed attempt to keep the genre alive.

Well, Activision finally announced a new entry in the series, and fans were thrilled… for about five seconds. That's because the game isn't Guitar Hero 5 or even a "Greatest hits" revival—it's Guitar Hero Mobile, an obvious cash grab designed to squeeze a few more bucks out of the aging franchise. And somehow, it gets worse.

Gamers who were willing to settle for a mobile version of their beloved game rushed to the App Store to download it, only to discover that… it doesn't actually exist. Instead of an actual game, users were met with a message stating that Guitar Hero Mobile is merely a concept of a future product that might become real one day. That's right—Activision essentially teased a fake game, knowing full well there was nothing to download.

And to add insult to injury? The concept art used to promote this nonexistent game was blatantly AI-generated. Meaning this wasn't even a mobile game in development—this was just some executive testing the waters to see if they should bring the franchise back. Instead of investing in a real revival, they had AI whip up some generic promo art and dangled it in front of fans as a cruel experiment. Because who cares about Guitar hero anyway?

Well, I care. I used to love this franchise, and the way it's been treated since Activision bought it is downright appalling. Either pay the licensing fees for real music and make another great game, or sell the rights to someone who actually wants to. Guitar Hero deserves better. We deserve better. And whoever thought this little "Guitar Hero Mobile" stunt was a good idea? They deserve a pink slip.