Puma partners with Activision for True Crime: New York City

Forging a dedicated brand merchandising partnership with videogames publisher Activision, Puma has announced the impending launch of limited edition footwear to coincide with True Crime: New York City.

The game, a sequel to Activision's acclaimed True Crime: Streets of L.A. is being developed by Luxoflux for the three current generation consoles. The title will feature specific Puma brand advertising, in-game retail stores and numerous product placement and brand references.

To coincide with the launch, Puma are set to release just 200 pairs of True Crime shoes, which will only be sold in New York at The Puma Store: Soho, Classic Kicks, Fight Club and Clientele; the retail stores depicted in the game itself. Puma True Crime RS-100 shoes will have a game logo on the insole, embroidered letters T and C on the heel and feature a map of lower Manhattan.

Activision has already assigned voice-acting roles to a number of Hollywood film legends including Christopher Walken, Laurence Fishburne and Mickey Rourke, in addition to securing licensed and exclusive music tracks from rap artist Redman, who also appears as a secret playable character in the game.

The move to create dedicated footwear to coincide with the release of the game is similar to the recent collaboration between Nike and 2K Sports, who announced a range of exclusive NBA 2K6 footwear to be launched throughout the current NBA season. In-game, enhancements to player stats can be obtained through the purchase of specific, customisable Nike iD footwear. Microsoft have also recently partnered with Adidas, in a series of cross-promotional activities leading up to the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany.