50 Cent: Bulletproof
We chat to the men behind Vivendi's hip-hop-flava'd blockbuster.
Hip-hop and gaming have been cosy bedfellows for years, and the release of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas just over a year ago proved how rich the pickings can be if you marry the two in the right way. With the world, his wife and probably his ho scrambling to cash in on the phenomenon, VU's decision to go all-out and deliver a brutal shooter based on one of the world's biggest rap stars could prove to be an inspired decision - commercially, at least.
Of course, we're not expecting the game itself to be the world's greatest. If we're honest, we fully expect it to be 'one for the fans' rather than something we should all rush out and buy. But that doesn't make it any less interesting. In fact, we wanted to know whether a 50 Cent game could ever be anything more than a cynical cash-in. So we asked some of the key men responsible for making it happen. Step forward producer Andre Emerson and the man behind the brand marketing, Antoine Molant...
50's background, as well as the content in his lyrics and videos are a perfect match with an action game. Bringing gaming and hip hop together is a natural fit.
We are bringing more than a game to the market. Bulletproof is a real interactive mix of games, music and videos. This opens new areas for the entertainment industry as Universal music, Universal Pictures and VUG join forces. Bulletproof is a kind of pioneer for us.
We expect Bulletproof to draw a diverse audience. From the very start, we focused on a making a great third-person shooter with lots of fun and brutal game mechanics. We're also offering five different skill levels so the game can appeal to first-time players as well are hardcore gamers.
It is more than just music; it is about lifestyle and culture. 50 is an iconic image regardless of the cultural differences. A game based on his world is naturally aimed at the widest audience possible, as its content matches everyone's expectations.
I think Bulletproof will have a broad appeal due to its fun factor, scope and incredible value. In addition to the core gaming experience, we're offering over 160 songs, featuring 13 exclusives from 50. We have a 90-minute original score from Sha Money XL and sixteen 50 and G-Unit music videos. Our story was written by Terry Winter, an Emmy Award-winning writer from The Sopranos. Our cast includes G-Unit's Lloyd Banks, Tony Yayo, Young Buck and DJ Whoo Kid. We also have Eminem and Dr. Dre making their videogame debuts.
If you consider that 50's music has a broad appeal, and then his game has too. We have here a truly multimedia product and at all levels we are true to 50's world, with no concessions made.
50 and the entire cast did extensive voiceover and photo sessions to ensure we captured their personas. 50 stayed involved from beginning to end, providing input and direction on the look, story, sound and most every aspect of the experience. He's proud of the result and we're all looking forward to the audience's response.
The whole crew has been involved in creating the game. We never even questioned the level of involvement from 50. He was here from the start.
The idea originally came from Jimmy Iovine at Interscope and 50 himself. We have a great relationship through Universal and are pleased that we were chosen to bring Bulletproof to life.
Once again, given the multimedia content of this product, it was natural to partner with each division of Universal to bring Bulletproof to life.
Not sure really. You'd have to ask 50.
Not sure either, but 50 anyway deserves to have his own game.
Not really, actually. We expect Bulletproof to be a franchise and want to grow it carefully. We focused on tight controls and solid on-foot mechanics for this first instalment. Too many of the sandbox games out there have either questionable driving or on-foot gameplay or both. We want every mechanic in Bulletproof to have a smooth, intuitive feel.
The creation of this 50 game has also been monitored taking the market trends into account. Free-roaming style games usually lack identity and a proper scenario. The choice was made to emphasis these elements, and not to dilute 50's impact.
There are over 160 tracks in the game. Over 40 of these tracks are original score created by G-Unit President and Executive Producer, Sha Money XL. He wrote various pieces based on the location, enemies and type of action that happens in the game. The music changes dynamically as well depending on the intensity of the action. While the entire game is scored, at any time you can overwrite the score with your own custom playlist. 50 created 13 new tracks for the game, featuring originals and exclusive remixes of underground tracks. It's very cool to hear some of the more obscure material with a full production mix. There are also sixteen 50 and G-Unit music videos as well. We had to go to DVD9 format to fit all this material.
This is purely an artistic decision.
As I mentioned earlier, the script was written by Soprano's writer, Terry Winter. Terry also wrote the screenplay for 50's movie, Get Rich or Die Tryin'. I think this may be the first time that the same screenwriter has created original scripts for both the movie and videogame. All of the talent were highly professional and self-directing in many ways. The performances were great and very much capture the authenticity we were aiming for.
We are extremely happy with the way it has been done and couldn't have expected more dedicated artists for this. Combining all these vocal talents is a world premiere in a game.
I'd love to do Bulletproof II. We've got a great team and foundation built and we're ready to take it to an even higher level on next-gen systems. While you would think this may start a trend, I'm not sure how many artists are big enough to carry their own game. 50 is at the top of the rap game and a growing global success.
Bulletproof proves that music, videos and interactive environments can melt in order to create a truly new experience for the consumer. This could revolutionise the Entertainment industry.
I hope it's wildly successful. Whether you're a casual gamer, hip hop / 50 fan or hardcore player, there is something for everyone here.
This game is a triple-A title aimed to all types or target. We eagerly anticipate it will be a blockbuster.
The game excels in a number of ways. Considering that this is a new type of experience, a fusion of entertainment mediums, I'm proud of how seamless the overall experience is. From the actual game to creating music playlists to watching videos, all of it is at your fingertips and readily accessible. Targeting-wise, we looked to Halo for inspiration while the rest of game is more influenced by action movies rather than other games. PS2 and Xbox are near identical. I would recommend choosing based on your controller preference.
Bulletproof is honestly unique, there is no competition. This is just the most complete 50 cent experience you can have.
50 Cent: Bulletproof is released on November 25th on PS2 and Xbox via Vivendi Universal Games. A PSP version is due for release in Q1 2006.