Mixtape Won't Be Delisted: Music Licensed in Perpetuity

Is Mixtape at Risk of Being Delisted Because of Music Licensing?

Mixtape, the acclaimed coming-of-age adventure from developer Beethoven & Dinosaur and publisher Annapurna Interactive, is not going anywhere. Creative director Johnny Galvatron has confirmed that the studio paid extra to license every track in the game in perpetuity — meaning the licenses carry no expiration date.

As reported by Rock Paper Shotgun and IGN, the announcement comes in response to fan concerns about a fate common to music-heavy games: licensing deals that eventually expire, triggering delisting or soundtrack modifications. Games like Rock Band have seen songs removed when licenses lapsed, and streaming television shows have faced similar issues.

Galvatron's statement makes clear that Beethoven & Dinosaur took a deliberate stance from the start. The studio could not simply remove or swap out the music even if it wanted to — according to the developer, the levels themselves are designed around the songs.

Why Is Music So Central to Mixtape's Design?

Released on May 7, 2026, Mixtape follows three teenage friends on their last night together before one of them leaves for New York. The narrative is driven almost entirely through a curated playlist of 1980s and 1990s music, with each track serving as both story backdrop and gameplay mechanic.

The game features music from Devo, The Smashing Pumpkins, Iggy Pop, Joy Division, The Cure, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Roxy Music, Lush, Silverchair, and Portishead, among others. The soundtrack is not merely complementary — it is structural. Gameplay vignettes including skateboarding, photography, and fireworks are choreographed directly around specific licensed tracks.

Beethoven & Dinosaur deliberately chose not to include a streamer mode — a feature that swaps in copyright-free music for content creators — precisely because removing the original songs would fundamentally break the experience. In the developer's own words, the licensed music is "the soul of Mixtape."

What Does the Perpetual License Mean for Mixtape Players Long-Term?

For players, the perpetual licensing confirmation is significant reassurance. Unlike many games featuring licensed music — which carry an implicit risk of future delisting — Mixtape is now confirmed to remain available on all platforms indefinitely.

Mixtape is currently available on PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch 2. According to DualShockers, the game received "generally favorable" reviews across most platforms, with the Xbox Series X|S version achieving "critical acclaim" status on Metacritic.