Coming-of-age online game Mixtape is full of licensed music from artists like Devo and The Smashing Pumpkins, however writer Annapurna Interactive and developer Beethoven and Dinosaur have informed followers to not fear concerning the recreation probably being delisted down the street.
Inventive director Johnny Galvatron stored considerations concerning the recreation’s future from spinning uncontrolled throughout a current interview with Kotaku. Regardless of that includes a full playlist of tracks from recognizable teams all through its foot-tapping story, he mentioned that the staff paid further to take care of licenses for every observe in perpetuity.
Annapurna adopted up the interview with its personal assertion in an X/Twitter put up. It mentioned, “We heard some individuals say MIXTAPE could be delisted resulting from music licenses expiring. That was a lie.”
We heard some individuals say MIXTAPE could be delisted resulting from music licenses expiring.
That was a lie.
Have an important weekend, everybody. https://t.co/C3VesfWPpz
— Annapurna Interactive (@A_i) Could 16, 2026
Fears that Mixtape might, in some unspecified time in the future, be pulled from digital cabinets aren’t precisely unfounded. Loads of video games have suffered related fates resulting from expired licenses prior to now, together with Rock Band 4 late final 12 months and the unique Alan Wake in 2017. Even Grand Theft Auto 4 changed just a few tunes after some licenses expired in 2018.
It is clear Beethoven and Dinosaur needed to place within the effort to ensure its story and the music woven all through it remained intact for years to return. One instance of a “boundary take a look at” concept that was floated however did not pan out concerned asking Pink Floyd for a track, however the staff’s supervisor cautioned that the basic rock band wasn’t seemingly to present them the observe they had been after. That mentioned, when it got here to getting the opposite tunes they needed, Galvatron informed Kotaku the staff by no means bumped into any actual horror tales and acquired “just about every part [they] requested for.”
“There’s simply so many factors within the recreation the place Stacy turns the display screen and says ‘That is the Smashing Pumpkins, and it is fucking sick,'” he added. “You ship that to [Smashing Pumpkins frontman] Billy Corgan and he goes, ‘That is the Smashing Pumpkins and it is fucking sick, yeah, they’ll do this. That’s effective.'”
Mixtape launched for PC, Nintendo Change 2, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Sequence X | S Could 7, 2026. IGN referred to as it a “Masterpiece” in our 10/10 evaluate.
“A musical delight from begin to end,” we mentioned at launch final month, “Mixtape units a brand new normal for coming-of-age tales in video video games and does so with a masterful sense of favor.”
Michael Cripe is a contract author with IGN. He is finest recognized for his work at websites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Make sure to give him a observe on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).
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