Which Nirvana frontman appears as a playable avatar in Guitar Hero 5?

Kurt Cobain, Nirvana’s frontman, appears as a playable avatar in Guitar Hero 5.

Activision spent about three years seeking permission to use Cobain’s likeness, including agreements involving Courtney Love, who controlled Cobain’s estate, and rights connected with Dave Grohl and Universal Publishing. The development team used photographs and videos supplied by Love to shape the avatar, including a look inspired by Cobain’s appearance during Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” era.

The avatar was not merely a background cameo: once unlocked, it could be used as a playable character. That flexibility created controversy because players could make the virtual Cobain perform songs by other artists, including material far removed from Nirvana’s catalog. Nirvana members and others objected to that use, while Activision maintained that it had obtained the necessary rights.

The other options are connected to rock music but are not the Nirvana frontman represented here. Krist Novoselic was Nirvana’s bassist, Dave Grohl was the band’s drummer and later Foo Fighters’ frontman, and Pat Smear toured and performed with Nirvana as a guitarist. Guitar Hero 5 was released in 2009.