Martyn Ware, a founding member of Heaven 17, has reported that Rockstar Games offered the band $7,500 to use their song ‘Temptation’ in Grand Theft Auto 6.
Ware has recently clarified that the initial offer was $7,500 per writer, totaling $22,500, which means his earlier statements were somewhat misleading.
Ware made this claim on X (formerly Twitter), stating, “I was recently contacted by my publishers on behalf of Rockstar Games regarding the possibility of using ‘Temptation’ in the new Grand Theft Auto 6.
Naturally, I was excited about the significant amount of money that seemed to be coming my way, so I scrolled to the bottom of the email to find the offer…”
He continued, “IT WAS $7,500 – for a buyout of any future royalties from the game – forever… To put this in perspective, Grand Theft Auto 6 [Ware meant Grand Theft Auto 5 here] grossed… $8.6 BILLION. Ah, but think of the exposure… Go fuck yourself.”
To clarify, this offer means that Heaven 17 would allow Rockstar Games to use their song ‘Temptation’ in GTA 6 for a one-time payment of $7,500, without receiving any future royalties. The song would likely be featured on the in-game radio stations.
Ware’s tweet has sparked considerable online debate about whether the offer is fair.
Reddit user /u/HomeInternational69 commented, “Is this really that cheap? What’s a more fair price to pay? In addition to the $7,500, the artists would also gain significant exposure to a massive audience.”
Conversely, Reddit user /u/-Aone remarked, “$7.5k for ‘any future royalties… R* trying to do a daytime robbery.”
Ultimately, Heaven 17 has decided that $7,500 is insufficient for featuring their song in GTA 6. The value of the offer and the potential exposure it provides remains a matter for the artists to decide.
