50 Cent: Bulletproof Q&A Feature

50 Cent is one the biggest names in music today culminating in the forthcoming 50 Cent: Bulletproof for Xbox, PlayStation2 and PSP, and the movie Get Rich or Die Tryin'. Described as a 50 Cent multimedia experience, Bulletproof not only features a single-player campaign and multiplayer gameplay, but also includes every song and music video recorded by the star. Getting down in the hood, Derek "Wassup homie" dela Fuente spoke to Bulletproof Executive Producer Andre Emerson about the forthcoming titleâ?¦

50 Cent has had a big involvement in the making of the game so how did this all come about? Did 50 Cent approach VU and how did he sell you the game idea and what kind of backdrop research of his character did you need to do? What were his basic design ideas and how much the dev team flesh them out?

The idea for a 50 Cent game came from Jimmy Iovine (Interscope) and 50 himself. At VU Games we've got a great relationship with Interscope and we were excited when the call came. 50 was involved throughout the development in virtually every aspect of the game, visuals, music, storytelling, casting, etc.

50 Cent is a bit of a cult hero to a certain section of music fans but there is a large portion of the music and games industry who he could well alienate. How do you cope and possibly negate the negative vibes and win them around?

Don't lean on the license and make a great game. Bulletproof is a rich 3rd-person shooter. We've got a diverse set of game mechanics including 30 unlockable Counter-kill moves which involve 50 stealing an enemy's weapon and using it against him in dramatic form - Body Shields that you can rob, use for cover and interrogate - Mobile Cover, such as dumpsters that you can grab and move with to protect yourself, and also shove/crush enemies with - We also have a great AI system written by the former lead AI programmer from the critically acclaimed Far Cry. There is so much going on in Bulletproof whether you're a 50 fan or not.

How big is 50 Cent's entourage and did gaming ideas and input extending further than 50 Cent to his friends and contacts in the music business?

50 rolls as deep as he needs to given the situation. He brought so much to the table for this game. 50 had input on the types of character actions, visuals, animation, etc. He introduced us to our writer, Terry Winter, who also wrote the Get Rich or Die Tryin' movie screenplay. Terry is also an Emmy Award winning Executive Producer and Writer for the Sopranos. 50 hooked us up with G-Unit Records president, Sha Money XL who created a 90-minute exclusive score for the game. 50 was able to get us Lloyd Banks, Young Buck and Tony Yayo of G-Unit, as well as DJ Whoo Kid, Eminem and Dr. Dre for their videogame debuts. Music-wise, we got 13 new tracks for the game from him as well.

Are you pleased so far with the coverage you have received with previews/features of the game and how focused on the music press and non specialist media will you go to create even broader promoting of the game? In effect do you expect to gain as many sales and coverage from outside of the gaming press? (Is the gaming press less important in terms of getting extensive coverage than other areas of the press?)

The coverage has been unlike anything I've ever seen! It's absolutely amazing. We want Bulletproof to reach both 50 fans and not. This is why we've put so much focus into the game and it's mechanics. I think gamers will instantly feel at home with the controls, while first time players can choose difficulty levels that will allow them to succeed, even if they've never played a game before. In the end we hope to please every 50 fan who is a gamer and we hope to pick up lots of new players/fans along the way.

What has been the feedback from the luminary music press like Billboard, MTV, and VH1 so far? Have they been impressed with the game and are they in some ways even more sceptical and can their views make or break the game within these circles?

They've shown big love for what they've seen so far. Everyone is excited to see this crossover and blending of the music and gaming industries. We recently showed the game to 200 of the top hip hop DJs in the country and people couldn't stop playing it.

To the much asked question, what is your response to, it will sell off the back of the name and does this matter if the game sells well?

I hope it's that easy. But seriously, the audience is extremely savvy. People read reviews, check out screenshots & movies on the web. There's no question that 50's place in pop culture brings the game incredible awareness, but none of us are resting on that fact.

Has the budget for making the game been any different to that of any other game that VU creates and if this succeeds could more games from 50 Cent follow and maybe other music stars? Also, why do you feel that the 50 Cent game has caught the imagination of the gaming press whilst games from the likes of Peter Gabriel, Todd Rungren, Mike Oldfield, and other big names have failed to turn into good sales?

There was really nothing unique about the budget for this game. We worked with 50 to establish a plan and a game design and took it from there. As far as people's interest in a 50 game, he's the perfect fit! The game captures the type of things you'd hear in his lyrics or see in his videos. 50's hustler persona is an ideal creative background for a game. Maybe other artists' attempts have felt like a 'bolt on' to the game industry thus far?

TVG would like to thank Andre Emerson for taking the time to answer our questions on 50 Cent: Bulletproof. The game is set for release on Friday 25th November for Xbox and PlayStation2 with PSP version coming shortly. We'll have more on 50 Cent: Bulletproof shortly