As we head further into what should be an increasingly normal musical year, there’s more talk of GNR ramping back up.

When we covered Guns N’ Roses last, they were in the midst of a massive comeback nearly unprecedented in the world of classic rock. They were headlining Download Festival 2018 alongside Ozzy Osbourne and Avenged Sevenfold in what was then the first reappearance of the classic lineup in the UK.

That festival was just one in a series of major events signaling the resurgence of one of the great classic rock groups. And thereafter, GNR simply continued to surge forward, selling out shows and earning positive reviews across much of the western world. Unfortunately, as it did to most of the music world, the pandemic in 2020 slowed the comeback’s momentum. But now, as we head further into what should be an increasingly normal musical year, there’s more talk of GNR ramping back up.

Most notably, fans are beginning to get excited about the possibility of new music. Last December, album speculation on Loudwire specifically cited comments from Slash, who believes the album will be out sometime in 2021. The guitarist has also claimed to have written some great new material himself.

Until we get confirmation about a new album though, what might be most interesting about the slowly-but-surely returning Guns N’ Roses hype is the potential for promotion. Leading up to the band’s reunion and international tour a few years ago, GNR proved to be quite savvy with subtle but effective marketing efforts – almost sneakily or mysteriously getting their name out a bit more in advance of major announcements. It was all quite a lot of fun for fans, which is why we’re wondering if there could be similar efforts on the way this year.

That may mean video content. Late in 2015, on the eve of the unexpected reunion the following spring, a mysterious Guns N’ Roses trailer played on U.S. cinema screens (specifically in advance of screenings for Star Wars: The Force Awakens). The trailer wasn’t clear or direct, but to put the word out that GNR were up to something. Essentially, fans were put on notice, and while there’s no longer anything as surprising as an Axl Rose-Slash reunion to tease, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see more video content before near-future announcements. One can certainly imagine the band hunkered down during the pandemic and creating a few mysterious teasers to put out as they please.

It could also mean games. Even before the mystery trailer, GNR had allied itself with the NetEnt online slot developer in order to produce a Gun N’ Roses game. Designed as a digital slot reel, it quickly became available on slot sites across the web, and further helped to put GNR back in front of millions. A similar effort of this kind now would perhaps see GNR material moving into another branch of online casinos – essentially refreshing the slot game’s attention. Looking at the landscape of online casinos, a GNR Slingo game would probably be the best bet. While Slingo itself (a combination of slots and bingo) is not a new game, Gala Spins’ Slingo section is helping to put it back on the map – and doing so specifically by tying some of the most popular slot machine themes to Slingo games. With major titles like Starburst and Rainbow Riches having crossed over, it’s actually quite easy to imagine a Guns N’ Roses’ slot reel being adapted for this fresh category as well.

Then again, game-based marketing could also revolve around something in the mobile category. This is not something Guns N’ Roses toyed with last time, though it seems worth noting because Ozzy has toyed with it, and perhaps made the idea more relevant to other aging classic rockers. Metal Insider linked the 8-bit mobile game to Ozzy’s Ordinary Man album, and while the game didn’t make a huge splash it’s definitely an interesting idea. Given GNR’s aforementioned casino game, and forays into pinball, it’s not hard to imagine Axl and Co. having a mobile game developed to herald the arrival of new music.

And then of course GNR could also simply surprise us with the announcement of a fresh, post-pandemic tour. We’ve recently learned that the band will co-headline BottleRock later this year, which furthers the sense that things with Guns N’ Roses are ramping back up again. This festival appearance might just be a launch pad for whatever’s next.

Suffice it to say we’re excited no matter how all this turns out. New music and tour shows seem inevitable, and with GNR’s ability to promote the band, there should be plenty of amusing side content along the way.