Who are the Real Creators Behind Mixtape?
After a successful launch, the highly anticipated narrative adventure game Mixtape has solidified Australian developers Beethoven & Dinosaur’s name in the gaming world.
Who are Beethoven and Dinosaur?
Founded in 2017 by Musician Johnny Galvatron and his band The Galvatrons, Beethoven & Dinosaur have developed one game prior to the release of Mixtape titled The Artful Escape (2022), which is a platform game centred around the main protagonist Francis and his journey through a musically rich world inspired largely by David Bowie and his persona Ziggy Stardust.
Galvatron’s personal background in music has influenced his game development process greatly and that is definitely evident in The Artful Escape and Mixtape. Debuting to rave reviews, Mixtape’s musically rich and nostalgic world invited players in and took them on the night of a lifetime.
How are Annapurna Involved in Mixtape?
Online, many players were quick to associate the high critic scores with Annapurna’s CEO Megan Ellison’s position as the daughter of Centibillionaire Larry Ellison, attributing Mixtape’s commercial success to her father’s wealth. It is important to note that Annapurna Interactive did not develop Mixtape; however, they were only involved in the publishing of the game, therefore the content of the game and the development process was entirely by the indie studio Beethoven & Dinosaur.
Music Licensing Issues and Mixtape
After launching on May 7, Mixtape has faced a lot of commotion on the internet. One issue was regarding the music licensing issues for the game as rumours began to swirl on X that the game would suffer and delisting would be the only option. Annapurna quickly dispelled these rumours and responded stating that it ‘was a lie’
We heard some people say MIXTAPE would be delisted due to music licenses expiring.
That was a lie.
Have a great weekend, everyone. https://t.co/C3VesfWPpz
— Annapurna Interactive (@A_i) May 16, 2026
Another issue was the lack of streamer mode for Mixtape as the licensing issues for the game restricted this. Beethoven and Dinosaur responded to this on X stating that music is integral to the game and changing the levels to avoid copyright would not be truthful to the meaning behind the game.
A note from BnD about streaming. pic.twitter.com/eu71bvvaUz
— MIXTAPE by Beethoven & Dinosaur (@bnd_studio) May 7, 2026
What’s Next for Them?
After a hugely successful launch, we can definitely expect to see more from the team at Beethoven & Dinosaur in the future with just as many musical references as their previous two games.
