The Black Eyed Peas hook up with The Urbz
EA, iTunes and A&M Records team up with Black Eyed Peas for a unique partnership for EA's upcoming title, The Urbz.

by | October 13, 2004

Electronic Arts, in conjunction with iTunes and A&M Records has announced a unique partnership with The Black Eyed Peas in which the popular band will enter the digital realm as characters in The Urbz: Sims in the City. Today’s announcement also noted that the band will be offering nine tracks to the game which will be fully re-recorded in the Sims’ native language and a special edition of The Urbz will offer iTunes users the chance to hear exclusive, never-released tracks via a iTunes download card.

This is the first time a band has gone back to the studio to completely re-record tracks specifically for a game and is a first partnership of its kind. The first 700,000 units shipped of The Urbz: Sims in the City will include a pre-paid, pre-loaded iTunes download card inside the box. The card entitles consumers to receive three exclusive Black Eyed Peas songs. These songs include a never-before released English song, an exclusive Simlish track, and two versions of their top hit, "Let's Get it Started" -- one in Simlish.

"The collaboration with iTunes and A&M Records is part of a massive launch planned for The Urbz: Sims in the City," said Nancy Smith, Executive Vice President and General Manager of North American Publishing at Electronic Arts. "As the spin-off to the best selling PC game of all time, The Sims, The Urbz: Sims in the City will benefit from one of the most extensive music partnership in the history of EA."

In The Urbz: Sims in the City, players move out of the suburbs and take to the streets as they build their reputation and attempt to become the biggest player in town. Styling themselves in the trendiest threads and with the funkiest hairstyles, sims will unlock nine districts and meet over 65 unique characters, including the Black Eyed Peas. In the Cosmo Street District, players can interact with the band members and even sing along with the group -- all in Simlish, the game's exclusive quirky language. Players can listen to nine exclusive songs specifically re-recorded for the game in Simlish -- a first in videogame history.