Former Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain will appear in a videogame for the first time ever as part of Guitar Hero 5, which will feature two of the band’s most popular hits.
Cobain will be featured as a playable character in the latest addition to the Guitar Hero franchise, which will include two tracks from the 1991 album Nevermind: The smash hit “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and a previously unreleased live recording of “Lithium.”
“Kurt Cobain is one of the most recognizable frontmen in rock ‘n’ roll history and it’s an honor to have two of Nirvana’s masterpieces included in Guitar Hero 5,” said Activision Vice President of Music Affairs Tim Riley. “This is the first time the original recording of ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ has ever been licensed in an entertainment property and we’re thrilled to offer Guitar Hero fans exclusive access to the unreleased live version of ‘Lithium’.”
Other acts included with Guitar Hero 5 range from greats like The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash to Kings of Leon and Vampire Weekend. The game will also feature new game modes including “Party Play,” which lets players join in and leave game sessions seamlessly, and “Rock Fest,” which features five new head-to-head modes available locally or online.
Cobain formed Nirvana in 1987 with bassist Krist Novoselic, running through a series of drummers before settling on Dave Grohl in 1990. The band’s breakthrough came with the release of the hugely successful Nevermind, but the pressures of stardom, exacerbated by a long history of drug abuse, eventually became too much for him to handle, leading him to take his own life in April 1994.
