Cutting-edge music has long been an integral feature of high-end video games. Now, as Electronic Arts and the gaming arm of Def Jam Records gear up for the third in their successful series of Def Jam-branded game titles, and first for next-generation game platforms, music is being incorporated into the fabric of the gameplay as well.
“Gaming is almost intrinsic in hip-hop,” says Lauren Wirtzer, VP marketing at Def Jam Interactive. “Every artist who goes on the road is going to have some sort of PlayStation or
Xbox on their tour bus. It goes hand in hand.”
For their latest endeavor, EA has opened a studio in Chicago that is working with more than 35 top-selling artists, including the Game, Ludacris, Paul Wall, T.I. and Big Boi. All of the Def Jam artists in the fighting game will be photorealistic playable characters with unique moves and exclusive music tracks. The development team laser scanned each artist and motion-captured their facial and body movements to take advantage of next-generation technology. Not only will the artists be featured in lifelike moves in the game, but their music also will influence the gameplay for the first time.
“Music plays a much bigger role in this title than in the past two,” Wirtzer says. “Music influences the environment in which the players play the game. We had to go above and beyond to make sure there’s some new and exciting music offered to the player while they’re playing through these environments.”
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