Guardians of the Galaxy will have streamer mode that turns off licensed music

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Due to the licensed nature of many songs, an option will be added to turn them off.

Star-Lord
(Image credit: Square Enix)

Guardians of the Galaxy will employ a toggle that will allow streamers and content creators to turn off licensed music that may get them copyright strikes. 

In an interview with Mary DeMarle, senior narrative director, Square Enix confirmed to VentureBeat (via ScreenRant) that a toggle will be included. While DeMarle did not confirm the options, a PR representative did clarify it would be during the interview. 

However, DeMarle did speak about the additive nature of the licensed music in the game. She said: "Once we, in our story, decided that Peter Quill was kidnapped in the ‘80s, a child of the ‘80s, stuck in the ‘80s, we knew we had to get the great songs of the ‘80s. We did a great job. We have more than 30 licensed songs. Everything from Iron Maiden to Rick Astley to KISS to Wham to Blondie."

This however complicates matters for streamers who have been under stricter and stricter DMCA claims on their content which could threaten to close down entire channels. These kinds of options have become more and more popular as game companies and streamers try to work out solutions to avoid issues like copyright strikes on music. 

However, as the songs' inclusions seem to be a large part of the tone of the game and main character you play as, it's a real shame. This aspect is going to be inaccessible for anyone streaming and their audience. Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy will lack a small part of itself on platforms like Twitch, Facebook, and other services which is unfortunate. 

This issue doesn't look like it's going away anytime soon. On the contrary reports of more aggressive and automated DMCA claims are growing as companies crack down and try to protect their IPs. It's a fundamental flaw with streaming in recent years, and solutions like this will likely have to be considered by more and more developers if they intend to garner a streaming community. 

Patrick Dane
Freelance writer

Patrick Dane is the former Guides Editor at TechRadar. He is now a freelance games journalist writing for sites and publications such as GamesRadar, Metro, IGN, Eurogamer, PC Gamer, and the International Business Times, among others. He was also once the Managing Editor for Bleeding Cool.