by Stevie Smith - Mar 31 2008, 15:24
Rockstar and Amazon join to deliver MP3 tracks from Grand Theft Auto IV. Credit: Rockstar Games.
The eagerly awaited software release of crime-based sandbox epic Grand Theft Auto IV (GTA IV) is almost upon us, and an intriguing announcement by creator Rockstar Games and online retailer Amazon has this week quickened the pulse of expectation yet further.
Specifically, dedicated fans of the often controversial GTA series and its ubiquitously varied in-car radio soundtrack, can now grab real-world MP3 versions of the songs played through the car stereos of any vehicle that central protagonist Niko should decide to occupy or ‘liberate’ during his time in the game’s Liberty City.
Initially only open to game/music fans based in the United States, the tracks will be made available (and advertised in-game) through the application of ZiT technology, which arrives as a digital distribution method players can access via the game’s mobile phone interface controls.
Whenever the player fancies grabbing a track from the in-car radio, they need only mark it by opening the mobile phone interface control and dialling in ZIT-555-0100. This then prompts the delivery of a text message bearing the song and artist name of the relevant track(s), which players will be able to retrieve through Amazon.com following registration at the Rockstar Games Social Club community.
Amazon’s ZiT playlists, which are likely to be doubly appealing to Grand Theft Auto fans thanks to the lack of Digital Rights Management (DRM), will be posted for preview and purchase at the retailer’s standard rate of $0.89 USD to $0.99 USD per track. The added bonus of no DRM protection means that transfer to any computer or digital music/media player is possible after completion of purchase.
“Music has long played an integral part of the game playing experience,” enthused EMI Music executive Ronn Werre in a Yahoo!Games report. “We think giving players the ability to identify and buy their favorite tracks from Grand Theft Auto IV’s popular radio stations is a great new music discovery tool for fans and an innovative new revenue stream for artists.”
Building on the widely respected standing already enjoyed by the series in relationship to the variety of music played through its successive soundtracks, creator Rockstar Games has outlined that GTA IV will break new ground with in-game musical content reaching beyond 150 tracks.
That sprawling variety will arrive through popular and obscure tracks from both prominent and less well known recording artists including the likes of Elton John, Nas, Electrick Funk, The Greenskeepers, Deluka, The Boggs, Daddy Yankee, Liquid Liquid, Datarock, Murphy’s Law, and many others.
Grand Theft Auto IV will be released on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 this coming April 29.
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