In a nod to the company's penchant for exploitation, Activision has officially announced today that Kurt Cobain, the late frontman of Nirvana, will make his first ever appearance in a video game when Guitar Hero 5 hits store shelves next week. Described in the press release as a "grunge rock pioneer and icon", Cobain will be a playable character for two songs from the 1991 ten-times-platiunum album "Nevermind". Wannabe Kurts will take on his personage for "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and a previously unreleased live version of "Lithium".

Tim Riley, Vice President of Music Affairs for Activision, said this of locking down the rights to Kurt, "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. 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.'"

Now, as a man who came up during the "grunge era" (I graduated high school in 1994), I can say with some confidence that had Kurt not killed himself, there is little chance that he would have sanctioned his likeness for a video game. It's pretty well known that he, at least publicly, eschewed the spotlight. And there is conjecture that his suicide was at least in some part due to the fact that he was uncomfortable with labels like "grunge pioneer" or "icon". But I guess we can leave it to Activision (and Courtney Love) to cash in on his pain. Rock on!

UPDATE: There's also now a video showing off Cobain on-stage. Watch if you feel so inclined.

Activision has hit us with a pair of screenshots too, cause, you know, Nirvana was all about on-stage pyrotechnics: (click to enlarge)