Why The Guardians Of The Galaxy Game Will Sound Weird On Twitch

Eidos Montreal's "Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy" incorporates licensed music into the game, much to the delight and concern of streamers who are hoping to maneuver around copyright laws. Twitch streamers often face Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) strikes — reprimands based on using copyright material without permission — from exposures as simple as background music. So, in an effort to prevent streamers from receiving bans based on the music featured in the game, "Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy" is set to include a special "streamer mode."

Mary DeMarle, senior narrative director at Eidos Montreal, spoke to GamesBeat about the number of licensed songs in the game and how music will be used in the coming Marvel adaptation. "We have more than 30 licensed songs. Everything from Iron Maiden to Rick Astley to KISS to Wham to Blondie," she said. "The way we use the music in the game is fun. Of course we'll use it as part of the cinematics or to heighten drama in some scenes. You'll be in big battles and hear something amazing like 'The Final Countdown,' because it matches the story."

The company's public relations team also added there would be measures to help streamers avoid using licensed music. Specifically, "Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy" will include options for those who wish to stream the game without DMCA risks. "There will be a toggle in the game to turn off licensed tracks for streamers," the team explained to GamesBeat.

Mary DeMarle explained the two uses for music in gameplay. One is fairly simple: players can select a track from a jukebox to play as they explore. The other way, called a "huddle," incorporates a mechanic where Star-Lord, a.k.a. Peter Quill, responds to different reactions from his teammates depending on how they're faring in battle. 

"You have to listen to them, and then you have to decide if you're going to motivate them or calm them down. You have a dialogue choice, and when you choose it Peter gives a speech that's loosely based on the lyrics of one of the songs," DeMarle explains.

While the optional streamer mode exists, it isn't clear whether it will solve the issue by muting the licensed tracks or replacing them with something else entirely. Either way, with the music being as big a part of the game's experience as the soundtracks to the "Guardians" movies are, it might be a bit of a loss to not have the proper songs in stream.

"Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy" received a decent amount of hype amidst an otherwise underwhelming Square Enix E3 presentation. Some Marvel fans seem to be excited, while others are disappointed to learn that Star-Lord is be the only playable character in the game. At the very least, the team has confirmed that it won't have any microtransactions or DLC like "Marvel's Avengers."

"Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy" will release on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S on October 26, 2021.