Rockstar has buddied up with iTunes to provide music purchases from upcoming GTA IV expansion, The Lost and Damned. The DLC will include updates to the game’s virtual radio stations, and you’ll be able to buy tracks direct from Apple’s music store too.
It builds on GTA IV’s innovative steps in in-game music; if you heard something you liked on any of the radio stations (and there was a ton of great stuff in there too), you could whip out your virtual mobile and dial ZIT-555-0100. You’d then get a text message with the name of the song and artist. If you’d also registered with the Rockstar Social Club, you’d automatically receive an email with the same details, plus a link to buy the track from Amazon.com.
In The Lost and Damned expansion, the same still applies; but you’ll get a link to Apple’s iTunes Store instead.
Rockstar hasn’t revealed what made it change allegiances. Maybe it was Apple’s new DRM-free policy that won them over. Or more likely, it was the much larger iTunes user base and the sweet smell of cash-money.
The first expansion, due out next Tuesday, Feb 17, and will feature five sets of new content for the main game’s radio stations, including tracks from Busta Rhymes and Funkmaster Flex. We’ll be getting a hands-on session with The Lost and Damned and GTA: Chinatown Wars this week, so keep ‘em peeled for our first impressions.
Out 17 February | £13.60/1600 MS Points | Rockstar
