Rick Astley and Eidos-Montréal, the development studio of Square Enix, have published a video in which the 80s icon, armed with his indispensable forelock, deceives the players by making them fall victims of the classic meme of which he is the protagonist. The video, made for today’s release of Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, stars Rick as a mysterious hacker, devising a clever trick to rickroller unwitting players within the game.
Rick Astley said about it: “I’ve been waiting patiently for years, waiting for the perfect moment to regain possession of the rickroll. When I found out that Never Gonna Give You Up would be part of Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, I immediately understood that it was the opportunity I had been waiting for for a long time! “
He then continued: “Seriously though, I’m really excited to be a part of the game’s soundtrack, alongside so many songs that made the 80s legendary and influenced my youth and the development of my musical career. With all these 80s songs on the soundtrack, I’m sure a lot of players, especially the younger ones, will be able to enjoy great music masterpieces for the first time. I hope they can give them the same joy they gave me and motivate them to fight to save the galaxy! “
Music is a key part of the game and Never Gonna Give You Up is in great company: the game’s soundtrack includes over 30 80s pop and rock classics, featuring the likes of Mötley Crüe, Bonnie Tyler, Billy Idol, Pat Benetar, Def Leppard and BLONDIE.
Listen to the original Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy playlist here
See the full list of licensed songs here
Rally’s original gameplay mechanics allow players to cheer the Guardians in combat with motivational speeches inspired by legendary song lyrics. Rick takes advantage of one of these game sequences to guide players along a path that will lead them to one result: being rickrolled! Confused players are faced with the legendary ballet and unmistakable notes of Rick’s 80s hit, Never Gonna Give You Up.
Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy is now available for PlayStation®5, PlayStation®4, Xbox Series X | S, Xbox One, PC and streaming with GeForce NOW. Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy is also available on Nintendo Switch ™ as a cloud version in select regions.