LADYDRAGON.COM - Rockstar Games and Sony Music Entertainment Announce Soundtracks for Grand Theft Auto: Vice City

Monday September 09, 2002

Rockstar Games and Sony Music Entertainment Announce Soundtracks for Grand Theft Auto: Vice City

7 Soundtrack Albums To Be Released Simultaneously With The Release of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City

Rockstar Games, a division of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO), and Sony Music Entertainment proudly announce a landmark collaboration to release the soundtrack for the highly anticipated Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, the follow-up to the global blockbuster videogame, Grand Theft Auto 3.

Rockstar Games and Sony Music have joined forces to release seven simultaneous soundtrack albums on October 29th concurrent with the launch of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City for the PlayStation(R)2 computer entertainment system in the United States. The soundtracks will be released on the Epic Records label.

The Grand Theft Auto: Vice City soundtrack albums will be the definitive 80's music collection, with each album containing musical tracks from one of the numerous radio stations featured in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. Each album will replicate a station from the in-game 1980's radio FM dial, ranging from Heavy Metal and Soul to Hip-Hop and Pop Ballads. Players will once again have the ability to tune the radio station in every car that they carjack to one of many stations of their choice.

In-game radio stations have always been one of the most celebrated technical and creative aspects of the Grand Theft Auto franchise delivering a seemingly authentic radio experience complete with hours of hilarious commercials, jingles and DJ's parodying a wide mix of contemporary and classic radio formats. The radio stations in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City will feature the largest selection of music ever assembled for a video game with over eighty staggering tracks from artists such as Judas Priest, Blondie, Flock of Seagulls, Kool and the Gang, Hall and Oates, Grandmaster Flash, Cutting Crew and many, many more that span the entire musical spectrum of the period

"The Grand Theft Auto franchise has always broken the boundaries of what videogame soundtracks can be, and Rockstar Games, along with Sony Music and Epic Records, have set a new standard with Grand Theft Auto: Vice City," stated Terry Donovan, COO of Rockstar Games. "The Grand Theft Auto: Vice City soundtrack albums will arguably represent the most diverse, extraordinary and innovative collection of music ever assembled for any piece of entertainment - whether it be video games, television or feature films. Every track was lovingly and laboriously chosen to reflect the vast array of 80's musical styles and create the perfect audio landscape for Grand Theft Auto: Vice City."

Thomas D. Mottola, Chairman & CEO, Sony Music Entertainment, stated, "Grand Theft Auto is one of the coolest, most radical and explosive video game series ever, and we welcomed the opportunity to contribute to the excitement of the experience. Sony Music has compiled one of the strongest and most comprehensive collections of 1980's music ever assembled. Grand Theft Auto has consistently challenged the imagination and abilities of gamers everywhere, and we look forward to breaking new ground with the global launch of the multi-genre soundtrack to Grand Theft Auto: Vice City."

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City is the next installment in the gaming franchise that has exceeded 12 million units in total sales to-date. It's an entirely new game set in the `80s, the location is Vice City, and the vibe is glamour, power and corruption. It will be available exclusively for PlayStation(R)2 and is expected to hit retail shelves in the United States on October 29th.

    Grand Theft Auto: Vice City will surpass the revolutionary gameplay, cinematic graphics and immersive audio experience that is now the trademark of Grand Theft Auto 3. The best-selling Grand Theft Auto 3 was released in October 2001 and has rapidly become the fastest selling, highest grossing game for PlayStation(R)2 computer entertainment system to-date, with global sales exceeding 7 million units.

    About Take-Two Interactive Software

    Headquartered in New York City, Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. is an integrated global developer, marketer, distributor, and publisher of interactive entertainment software games and accessories for the PC, PlayStation(R), PlayStation(R)2, Xbox(TM), Nintendo GameCube(TM) and Nintendo Game Boy Advance. The Company publishes and develops products through its wholly owned subsidiary labels: Rockstar Games, Gotham Games, Gathering of Developers, Joytech and Global Star. The Company maintains sales and marketing offices in Cincinnati, New York, Toronto, London, Paris, Munich, Vienna, Copenhagen, Milan, Sydney and Auckland. Take-Two's common stock is publicly traded on NASDAQ under the symbol TTWO. For more corporate and product information please visit our website at www.take2games.com.

    All trademarks and copyrights contained herein are the property of their respective holders.

    About Sony Music Entertainment

    Sony Music Entertainment (SME), a leading global producer, manufacturer, and marketer of recorded music and video, has a presence in 60 countries. In 1994, SME launched www.sonymusic.com, which links to 20 Sony Music affiliate sites worldwide in addition to licensing and business-to-business sites. Reflecting its strategy for the broadband era, SME was the first major music company (in tandem with retail partners) to establish commercial download of singles, and has numerous investments in the digital media infrastructure, technology, wireless, service and digital content areas.