In 2005, rapper 50 Cent (born Curtis Jackson) was everywhere. British classrooms were filled with teens wearing his G-Unit clothing, while his hits Candy Shop and In Da Club ruled the airwaves. His backstory—surviving nine gunshot wounds before becoming one of rap’s biggest stars—only added to his legend.
That year, his second album The Massacre sold over a million copies in its first week. Capitalizing on his fame, his label Interscope Records planned two projects: a Hollywood biopic (Get Rich or Die Tryin’) and a video game, 50 Cent: Bulletproof, both set for release by November 2005. “I think people will be blown away by my game,” 50 Cent told IGN. “It feels more like an action movie.”
British studio Genuine Games, known for a poorly received Fight Club game, was given just 11 months to develop the rapper’s adventure. “We’d arrive at 7 AM and leave at 11 PM,” recalls artist Han Randhawa. “We lived on KFC. 50 Cent consumed my life—I even studied his medical reports to place bandages accurately on his 3D model.”
Designer Haydn Dalton remembers the challenge: “It was funny—here I was, a white guy from northwest England, writing street dialogue for these New York rappers. It was awkward, but I had no time, so I improvised.”
Surprisingly, Bulletproof has aged well. The game follows 50 Cent as he hunts down those who shot him, battling terrorists, biker gangs, and mobsters along the way. With his G-Unit crew (Tony Yayo, Young Buck, and Lloyd Banks), he storms through urban shootouts, each member bringing unique skills—Yayo handles explosives, Banks picks locks. The game even features smart cover mechanics, with your squad ducking behind walls during firefights.
The story, written by Sopranos scribe Terence Winter, includes cinematic cutscenes, like 50 Cent’s exchanges with corrupt cop Det. McVicar—voiced by Eminem, who demands bribes to pay for his kid’s karate lessons. Dr. Dre plays a stoned arms dealer, quipping, “That’s some serious shit,” when you buy a rocket launcher. The soundtrack is packed with 50 Cent’s music, letting you beat up thugs to Wanksta in the background.
“We treated 50 like a superhero—a Black James Bond,” says director David Broadhurst. But the British team missed out on the glitz. “Vivendi kept us away from 50 and G-Unit—we just got their audio files,” he admits. “50 had invested in Vitamin Water, so we had to include it as an in-game item.”
Randhawa recalls specific requests too. “Tony Yayo insisted his character wear his signature bandana,” he says. “Little details mattered.”Yayo kept requesting changes to his character’s face in the game. “I knew I’d done a good job with Yayo,” Randhawa recalls with a laugh. “When we finished, one of the executive producers came up to me and said, ‘The rest of G-Unit says you perfectly captured Yayo’s ugliness!'”
Originally, 50 Cent: Bulletproof was planned as an open-world game similar to Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. An early version even let players take the subway to get around New York, but tight deadlines forced the team to simplify the design. Dalton explains: “One idea was that 50 would manage street workers who collected drug money for him. He could control them using a phone and a ‘Pimp Management System’ (PMS). Looking back, that feature might seem cringeworthy, but it was a product of its time.”
Unlike other rap games that pitted artists against each other, Bulletproof cast rappers as outright heroes. “It was refreshing to see a rapper portrayed as the good guy instead of an antihero,” says Sha Money XL, a former G-Unit executive.
Sha Money XL, who worked on the game’s soundtrack, acknowledges that the title Bulletproof could have been seen as provocative by 50 Cent’s rivals. “Some might have wanted to test if 50 was really bulletproof, but in 2005, if anyone came at G-Unit, we were ready to fight back. Back then, people either loved or hated 50—there was no in-between.”
This polarizing reputation might explain why Bulletproof received harsh reviews, scoring just 52% on Metacritic. Critics often complained about the clunky aiming, but director Broadhurst believes some reviewers were biased from the start. “Many clearly hadn’t even played the game,” he says. “Maybe they disliked licensed games or a Black drug-dealing protagonist. But a lot of players went in expecting trash and were surprised it was actually decent.”
Plans for a direct sequel—set in a civil war-torn America with G-Unit fighting for survival—were scrapped. However, the game did inspire 50 Cent: Blood in the Sand (2009), where 50 battles terrorists in the Middle East after they steal a crystal skull.
Despite Bulletproof‘s financial success, hip-hop games faded afterward. Dalton thinks it’s because “50 Cent was the last truly global rap superstar. Since then, there’s been a void. Even though our game made money, today’s rappers don’t fit the same mold.”
Due to licensing issues, a Bulletproof remaster is unlikely. But for fans wanting a nostalgia trip, tracking down an original copy is the way to go. As Dalton puts it: “Sure, the game was rushed, but I don’t regret it. You see a lot of love for it online. A Drake game wouldn’t hit the same—he’s too soft. Not many rappers work for video games, but 50 Cent was perfect.”
FAQS
### **FAQs About *50 Cent: Bulletproof* and Its Original Concept**
#### **Basic Questions**
**1. What is *50 Cent: Bulletproof*?**
– It’s a 2005 action-adventure video game starring rapper 50 Cent, blending shooting, melee combat, and a crime-driven storyline.
**2. Was *50 Cent: Bulletproof* meant to be a “Black James Bond”?**
– Yes, the original concept was to create a Black version of James Bond, with 50 Cent as a stylish, high-stakes undercover agent.
**3. Who developed *50 Cent: Bulletproof*?**
– The game was developed by Genuine Games and published by Vivendi Universal Games.
**4. On which platforms was it released?**
– PlayStation 2, Xbox, and PlayStation Portable.
#### **Gameplay & Features**
**5. What kind of gameplay does *Bulletproof* offer?**
– A mix of third-person shooting, hand-to-hand combat, and gangster-themed missions.
**6. Can you play as other artists besides 50 Cent?**
– Yes, the game features members of G-Unit as playable characters in multiplayer.
**7. Does the game include 50 Cent’s music?**
– Yes, it has an original soundtrack with unreleased tracks and classic hits from 50 Cent and G-Unit.
**8. Is there multiplayer mode?**
– Yes, split-screen multiplayer lets you battle friends in deathmatch modes.
#### **Behind the Scenes**
**9. Why did the concept shift from “Black James Bond” to a street crime story?**
– The developers likely adjusted the tone to better fit 50 Cent’s real-life persona and appeal to his fanbase.
**10. Did 50 Cent help create the game?**
– Yes, he was heavily involved, contributing to the story, music, and even voicing his character.
**11. Was the game successful?**
– It received mixed reviews but sold well, leading to a sequel.
#### **Legacy & Trivia**
