“Go f*ck yourself”: 80s Pop Star Not Happy With GTA 6, Turns Down Rockstar’s ‘Pathetic’ Offer to Use His Song
The inclusion of Temptation in GTA 6 doesn't seem to be going forward, as Heaven 17 founder Martyn Ware has refused Rockstar's offer.
- Rockstar Games reached out to Martyn Ware's publishers so the developer could use Temptation in GTA 6.
- The Heaven 17 founder was not a fan of the studio's offer, turning it down as he felt it wasn't enough compensation.
- While the community believes that the 80s pop star missed out on a great opportunity, he thinks that it's unjustified.
If there is one signature feature that absolutely had to make its way to the upcoming GTA 6, considering its constant inclusion in the rest of the titles in the franchise, it is the extensive list of radio songs that accompany each Grand Theft Auto video game. Driving around in the virtual cities presented by Rockstar Games and listening to one’s favorite music while also discovering gems that players may never have heard of before is something that only elevates the GTA experience.
Unfortunately, not every artist behind some classic tunes is too fond of what the developer offers to use their music in its games, leading them to outright refuse the collaboration.
Heaven 17 Founder Thinks GTA 6 Should Have Offered Him More Money for His Synth-Pop Hit
While there are plenty of features that should make their way to GTA 6 to make it a true current-gen Grand Theft Auto experience, the addition of classic songs that may have gotten lost in time stands out as a great nostalgic throwback in modern times.
With just little over a year to go before Rockstar Games hopefully meets the scheduled release date for its next video game, a British pop star from the 80s, Martyn Ware, has revealed that the developer reached out to him regarding the use of his band Heaven 17’s synth-pop hit Temptation.
Despite initially being on board with the prospect, since the inclusion of a song in a Grand Theft Auto title can be a great opportunity for artists to garner more listeners, the 68-year-old musician took to his X account to explain his dissatisfaction with the offer that Rockstar brought with it.
The developer offered the artist $7500 without any additional royalties to feature Temptation in the upcoming GTA 6, which Ware does not think is justified simply because Grand Theft Auto 5 earned Rockstar Games billions of dollars, and the sequel will likely manage to surpass that. While some musicians may be content with just receiving the kind of exposure that comes with such a massive player base, the Heaven 17 founder summed up his response in three simple words: “Go f*ck yourself.”
Martyn Ware Failed to Negotiate With Rockstar Games, as the Developer Did Not Provide a Higher Offer
Naturally, the fan reaction to Martyn Ware’s revelations has been quite critical, as players looking forward to GTA 6 think that the artist missed out on an excellent chance to bring Heaven 17’s music back to the forefront of the synth-pop genre by refusing to let Temptation be added to the highly anticipated game’s radio.
Responding to the criticism, the British musician confirmed that he did try to negotiate a better offer with Rockstar Games, but unfortunately, the developer refused to go any higher.
The artist’s rant did not just stop there, as a series of posts on X kept following the initial update, with Ware calling the offer by Rockstar “pathetic” and believing that he deserved to be paid at least $75k instead.
Considering the other major obstacles that GTA 6 has succeeded in overcoming, Temptation not being on the in-game radio could be the least of Rockstar Games’ worries, and as the majority of the community feedback suggests, perhaps the 80s pop star was too hasty in turning down the offer.
