Chinese Democracy first official release of new Guns N' Roses material since 1999's "Oh My God". (The entire album was made available for the game on April 14, 2009 as downloadable content) It was followed by "If the World", which plays during the closing credits of the 2008 film "Body of Lies". "Billboard" announced a firm release date for "Chinese Democracy", November 23, 2008, on October 9. In the US, the retail release is sold exclusively through Best Buy. The first single, "Chinese Democracy", was released on October 22, 2008. It was debuted on the Opie and Anthony show broadcast by KROQ-FM.
Chinese Democracy Geffen had removed "Chinese Democracy" from its release schedule and withdrawn funding, stating: "Having exceeded all budgeted and approved recording costs by millions of dollars, it is Mr. Rose's obligation to fund and complete the album, not Geffen's." Around that time, manager Merck Mercuriadis said the album was close to complete. According to a March 2005 "New York Times" article, production costs for the album had reached $13 million, making it probably the most expensive recording "never made". Mercuriadis dismissed the article, writing in a letter that the newspaper's sources had not been involved with the project for several years.