Grand Theft Auto games are beloved for their licensed music radio stations players can listen to as they drive around the games’ sprawling open worlds. But one musical artist recently hit back at the makers of the franchise, Rockstar Games, after the studio apparently offered him only $7,500 to include one of his hit singles in Grand Theft Auto VI.
Martyn Ware is one of the founding members of the British synth-pop group Heaven 17 which released the hit single “Temptation” in 1983, which peaked at number two in the UK billboard charts and featured the vocals of singer Carol Kenyon. Listening to it today you can imagine it hitting the perfect note (“Keep us from temptation”) in GTA VI’s Florida nightclub-fueled, modern-day Bonnie and Clyde romance tale.
But it doesn’t sound like the song will be in the game. “I was recently contacted by my publishers on behalf of Rockstar Games re the possibility of using ‘Temptation’ on the new Grand Theft Auto 6,” Ware tweeted over the weekend. “Naturally excited about the immense wealth that was about to head my way, I scrolled to the bottom of the email re the offer…IT WAS $7500—for a buyout of any future royalties from the game - forever…”
Ware pointed out that the last game in the series, Grand Theft Auto V (which he misnamed Grand Theft Auto 6) has sold nearly 200 million copies and generated more than an estimated $8 billion in revenue over the lifetime of the game. “Ah, but think of the exposure…” he added. “Go fuck yourself.” In recent years, the blockbuster open-world game, which ended up spanning three different console generations, has become a go-to example for debates about who deserves what when it comes to the lifetime sales success in a creative field where ongoing royalties and residuals for those involved is almost unheard of. Outside of bonuses, most of the upside for massive games is reserved for the companies that publish them.
Of course, the potential “exposure” that “Temptation” may have gotten as a result of its inclusion is nothing to sniff at. Tom Petty skyrocketed up the Spotify playlist charts when his song “Love Is a Long Road” was featured in GTA VI’s debut trailer. Then again, “Temptation” would have been just one of tons of songs featured in the game, and it’s far from clear how much the buzz for Petty’s music actually translated into actual new record sales, or how that might trickle down to his estate after everyone else’s take.
GTA VI is currently due out in the second half of next year on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. Fans are anxiously awaiting any morsel of official news on the game, as long as it’s not about it being delayed until 2026.