Why do video game music licenses keep expiring – Breaking News & Latest Updates 2026
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Adi Robertson
Why do video game music licenses keep expiring?

In light of Spec Ops: The Line getting yanked from online storefronts over music licensing issues, it’s a good time to re-read a 2019 piece from GamesIndustry.biz on why this problem seems so common. Bottom line: games spent a long time being considered more ephemeral than other media like movies, and faced with the convoluted structure of music copyright, many studios negotiated deals to match.

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