Press Release
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®:
Bulletproof 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 fall
to PlayStation® 2 computer entertainment system, Xbox® video game
system from Microsoft, and PSP (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 Entertainment, Sierra® Entertainment and
Massive Entertainment. VU Games’ library of over 700 titles
features owned intellectual properties including Warcraft®,
StarCraft®, Diablo® and World of Warcraft from Blizzard; Crash
Bandicoot®, Spyro The Dragon®, Empire Earth®, Leisure Suit Larry,
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.
“50 Cent: Bulletproof” interactive game © 2005 Vivendi Universal
Games, Inc. All rights reserved. Sierra and the Sierra logo are
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Vivendi Universal Games logo are trademarks of Vivendi Universal
Games, Inc. All other trademarks are property of their respective
owners.
Xbox is a registered trademark in the United States and/or other
countries.
PlayStation and the PlayStation logo are registered trademarks
of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. PSP is a trademark of Sony
Computer Entertainment Inc.
.