Music

Axl Rose suing video game company for $20 million

by Ciaran Thompson

No stranger to public disputes or venting his quarrels with the rest of the world, Guns N’ Roses lead singer Axl Rose is suing Activision, the makers of the Guitar Hero video game, for $20 million US in damages after they created a character that looks like Slash and included it in the game.

According to the suit, which was filed Thursday at Los Angeles Superior Court, Rose said he only allowed the company to use the band’s track “Welcome To The Jungle” in Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock if there was no reference to Slash.

Activision created a character who looks like Slash, added the guitarist’s legendary black top hat and plastered it all over the game’s cover.

“Activision was keenly aware of Rose’s concerns in these regards,” the suit says, “and began spinning a web of lies and deception to conceal its true intentions to not only feature Slash and [Velvet Revolver] prominently in GH III, but also promote the game by emphasizing and reinforcing an association between Slash and Guns N’ Roses and the band’s song ‘Welcome To The Jungle.'” [CBC]