Recently, musician Martyn Ware caused a stir when he declined Rockstar Games’ offer to license his song “Temptation” for use in Grand Theft Auto 6. Ware felt devalued and insulted by the $7,500 proposed cost, which included a buyout of all future royalties.

Ware, who was a founding member of the synth-pop group Heaven 17, expressed his annoyance on X on Sunday, expressing his surprise at the low offer in light of the Grand Theft Auto series’ enormous financial success.

When Ware originally posted on ComicBook, he talked about how excited he was to think that his music would be included in such a well-known game.

Though the game was expected to make a lot of money, he was disappointed to learn that the cash offer was significantly below his expectations and included no royalties.

Broader problem in music

Ware pointed out straight away the enormous discrepancy between the small charge and the billions of dollars in earnings the Grand Theft Auto brand has racked up over the years. Despite giving the impression in his remarks that GTA 6 was the same game as GTA 5, his dissatisfaction with the offer was evident—it just didn’t live up to the value he felt his music contributed.

This case brings attention to a larger problem with music licensing for video games, implying that even beloved songs may not always get the highest prices.

When “Temptation” was published in 1983, Heaven 17 saw tremendous popularity. It was certified silver by the BPI and went on to become one of the UK’s top 40 best-selling singles of that year. Even after all these years, the song still has a strong emotional connection with fans, with over 25 million plays on Spotify.

Ware’s remarks have not yet received a response from Rockstar Games, so it’s unclear if this offer represents a particular position on this song or a more general approach to their licensing procedures. Watch Techopedia for additional information about this story’s development as well as other Grand Theft Auto news.