Publisher denies claims that music licenses will lead to Mixtape's delisting

The issue of videogame delisting has become all too familiar, with around 87 percent of games requiring a physical copy or digital version obtained through piracy or an archive to remain playable. Games that feature licensed characters or music are particularly vulnerable to being removed from digital storefronts, as seen with Star Trek: Resurgence and 29 Disney games that have been delisted since the start of the year. Concerns had been raised that Mixtape, a narrative adventure game released earlier this month, might suffer the same fate due to its extensive soundtrack featuring licensed songs. However, in an interview with Kotaku, the game's creative director Johnny Galvatron revealed that the developer, Beethoven and Dinosaur, had taken steps to mitigate this risk by paying for perpetual music licenses. This was corroborated by publisher Annapurna, which stated on X that claims of Mixtape being delisted due to expiring music licenses were untrue. While this does not guarantee the game's permanent availability, as delistings can occur for various reasons, it does provide assurance that the game's licensed soundtrack will not be the cause. Notably, Mixtape features over two dozen licensed songs, including popular tracks like Iggy Pop's 'Candy' and DEVO's 'That's Good'. Regardless of one's opinion on the game, which PC Gamer staff writer Harvey Randall reviewed, giving it a score of 74% and describing it as 'lovely, beautiful, and heartwarming', the fact that the developer has taken measures to ensure the game's long-term preservation is a positive development.