Vivendi Universal Games And 50 Cent Pull Back The Kevlar To Reveal 50 Cent: Bulletproof At E3 Expo 2005
Eminem and Dr. Dre Join the Cast as the Characters “McVicar” and “Grizz” in 50 Cent's Upcoming Video Game
LOS ANGELES (May 18, 2005) - Vivendi Universal Games ("VU Games") and 50 Cent today debuted 50 Cent®: BulletproofTM at the Electronic Entertainment Expo ("E3"), the game industry's largest global event, May 18-20, 2005. In his videogame debut, 50 Cent, the multi-platinum global hip hop sensation, is the star of 50 Cent: Bulletproof, an explosive new game coming this autumn to PlayStation® 2 computer entertainment system, Xbox® video game system from Microsoft, and PSPTM (PlayStation® Portable) entertainment system in 2006.
50 Cent: Bulletproof will feature an unprecedented lineup of the hottest recording artists in the music industry today, including 50 Cent and G Unit's Tony Yayo, Lloyd Banks and Young Buck, as well as Eminem and Dr. Dre, who will be making their interactive debuts as the characters "McVicar" and "Grizz."
"I'm as excited about 50 Cent: Bulletproof as I am about the success of my album, The Massacre and that means a lot since music has always been my life," said 50 Cent. "The new freestyles and the addition of Eminem and Dre show that this game is on the right course to follow in the successful footsteps of my music."
"50 Cent: Bulletproof captures the heart and soul of everything 50 Cent - his music, his life, the G Unit family - in an action-packed interactive experience with music and star power that is unrivaled," said Bruce Hack, CEO of VU Games. "We are delivering a 50 Cent experience that is much more than a video game. It is also a definitive collection of 50's multi-platinum albums, G Unit mixes and music videos."
50 Cent has been heavily involved in the game's creation and content, which features the star's voice, likeness and music. He collaborated on the game's mechanics and storyline with former Sopranos executive producer and Emmy® award winner Terry Winter, who wrote the game's script and the screenplay for 50 Cent's forthcoming theatrical release, Get Rich or Die Tryin'.
50 Cent: Bulletproof will feature new songs from 50 Cent recorded exclusively for the game, music from Get Rich or Die Tryin', The Massacre and 50 Cent and G Unit music videos. In addition, the game will offer a sound studio mode in which gamers can mix and match new original freestyles by 50 Cent with new beats straight from the G Unit camp.
About 50 Cent: Bulletproof
In 50 Cent's video game, 50 gets caught in a web of corruption, double-crosses and shady deals that lead him on a bloody path through New York's drug underworld. Working with the unlikeliest of allies, the streets heat up as 50 Cent takes on the most dangerous crime families in the city, uncovering an international conspiracy with devastating implications. The streets are watching as 50 Cent blasts his way to the truth.
50 Cent: Bulletproof is being created in partnership with Interscope Records, Shady Records and Aftermath Records.
More information about the game can be found at http://www.the50centgame.com/.
About 50 Cent
Go ahead. 50 Cent wants you to bet against him. It's that same street-born confidence that led hip-hop dream team Eminem and Dr. Dre to sign the former Jamaica, Queens crack dealer and music industry-shunned MC to their Shady/Aftermath imprint. The same sneering swagger that propelled 50 from underground mix-tape king to the top of Billboard album charts with his 2003 major-label debut Get Rich or Die Tryin', a landmark record that to date has sold well-over 10 million copies worldwide. And the same two-fisted ambition that saw the savvy 'hood entrepreneur lead his infamous G Unit clique to multi-platinum glory, making 50 Cent's G Unit record label a major player in the music biz.
Now with the release of The Massacre, easily the most anticipated album of 2005, 50 Cent will continue his dominance of the hip-hop world and beyond. And for the man born Curtis Jackson that means destroying the competition. "They have to survive me going around the country with this record," laughs the self-assured MC whose beef-igniting reputation has become as infamous as his street worn past. "My thought process going into The Massacre took me back to the days when I was hustling. I'm looking to move the competition off the block. I feel like anything less than what I've accomplished with Get Rich is a disappointment. I had time to grow during the last two years, so I just feel like I'm a better artist."
50 Cent epitomizes the hustler's spirit. While most artists would have been content with the massive spoils of multi-platinum album sales, high profile magazine covers, sold-out tours and omnipresent coverage on MTV and BET, 50 Cent wanted more. He set up his own label with longtime partner Sha Money XL and presented his juggernaut G Unit clique with the 2004 triple platinum Beg For Mercy. 50 oversaw the immense solo shine of Lloyd Banks (The Hunger For More) and Young Buck (Straight Outta Cashville), further expanding G Unit's takeover agenda. A clothing deal with Ecko Unlimited for his G Unit line and an unprecedented shoe endorsement pact with Reebok can be added to his successful resume.
50 Cent's rags to riches ascension did not go unnoticed by Oscar®-nominated director Jim Sheridan (In America, My Left Foot), who signed on to direct the rapper in the upcoming motion picture drama Get Rich Or Die Tryin'. And more recently 50 teamed up with Dr. Dre for the Aftermath/G Unit joint release of West Coast savior The Game, whose no. 1 debut The Documentary sold over a remarkable 500,000 units its first week.
Vivendi Universal Games (VU Games)
Vivendi Universal Games (www.vugames.com) is a global developer, publisher and distributor of multi-platform interactive entertainment. The company is a leader in the subscription-based massively multi-player online (MMO) games category, and also holds leading positions in the PC, console and handheld games markets. Its development studios and publishing labels include Blizzard® Entertainment, Radical EntertainmentTM, Sierra® Entertainment and Massive EntertainmentTM. VU Games' library of over 700 titles features owned intellectual properties including Warcraft®, StarCraft®, Diablo® and World of WarcraftTM from Blizzard; Crash Bandicoot®, Spyro The Dragon®, Empire Earth®, Leisure Suit LarryTM, Ground Control® and Tribes®. VU Games also maintains strategic relationships with industry leading content partners, including Universal Music Group, NBC Universal and Twentieth Century Fox.
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