Releasing songs into video games is a good way to reach fans, according to The Offspring frontman Dexter Holland. He spoke to Billboard about a wide variety of topics recently, including how The Offspring has been involved with video games for decades.
He explained that The Offspring’s association with video games began with surf and skate videos. Songs from the band’s 1992 album Ignition were used in a number of surf videos because the music is energetic and fits the vibe of surfing nicely.
“We’d have this whole new crowd that came out to see us play–these skaters and surfers, whereas before it was the mohawks and leather jacket crowd,” he said.
After that, The Offspring had its first big video game hit when some of its songs were used in the famous arcade racing game Crazy Taxi. Holland remarked that people still talk about Crazy Taxi, showing its longstanding appeal. After that, The Offspring’s songs came to Guitar Hero and “that was huge,” Holland said.
The Offspring’s latest foray into gaming came in the VR game Synth Riders, which features two of the band’s most famous songs, “Come Out And Play” and “Self Esteem.”
“I totally get it. How do you reach people who might not hear you? It’s probably the best example now,” Holland said of video games.
The Offspring’s 10th studio album, Let The Bad Times Roll, released on April 16.
