- Row has grown from Rockstar wanting to use track in GTA 6
- Song is an iconic track from the 1980s
- Star took to social media to vent his frustrations
A rock star from the 1980s has taken to social media to accuse Rockstar Games of making a lowball offer to use one of his band’s tracks in Grand Theft Auto 6.
Martin Ware, who was in Heaven 17, took to X (formerly Twitter) to vent his frustration at Rockstar Games and what he saw as a lowball offer to use the band’s famous track ‘Temptation’ in the much-anticipated game.
Exposure
Ware said: “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. 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 of the game – forever…”
He then added, sarcastically, “Ah, but think of the exposure…” before telling Rockstar where to go in very robust terms.
Ware later added in response to a question that he asked Rockstar to increase their offer and they refused.
Temptation was a huge hit for Heaven 17, peaking at number 2 in the UK singles chart in April 1983. It hit number 34 in the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart. The song reached a new audience when it was remixed and re-released in the early 1990s. The song was also featured in the film Trainspotting.
Mixed response
The response to Ware’s posts on X has been mixed. While some applauded Ware’s stance, accursing Rockstar of ‘grand theft’. But others have leapt to Rockstar’s defence, saying that by using the track in the game he would have had exposure to millions of players – marketing that others only dream of – and that Ware has made a huge mistake.
GTA 6 remains one of the most anticipated video games in history. Recently developers have denied rumors that its launch will be delayed.
