As they mature in graphics, storytelling and artistic expression, video games attract the attention of A-list actors and top industry musicians. The latest such music star to delve into the world of video games is Sean “Diddy” Combs, partnering with 2K for the WWE 2K17 soundtrack.
“I am a huge WWE fan,” Combs said in an official press release. “I love the intensity and the competition and I wanted fans to feel that energy in the soundtrack for WWE 2K17. While prepping for the upcoming Bad Boy 20-Year Family Reunion Tour, I’ve been thinking a lot about the past and the artists that inspired me. I mixed some of my favorites with some of the best new acts in the game today to create something really special.”
The game’s soundtrack will feature 13 songs from a variety of musical genres, including hip-hop, indie and alternative rock, heavy metal and electronic dance. One such track is Bad Boy For Life by Combs himself as a nice tie-in to the upcoming tour. The album will be published by his music cable network, Revolt Media & TV, and the tracks include:
- Action Bronson & Joey Bada$$ (feat. Rico Love): “What About The Rest Of Us”
- Anderson .Paak: “Come Down”
- Andy Black: “We Don’t Have To Dance”
- Axwell Λ Ingrosso: “This Time”
- Black Sabbath: “Paranoid”
- Bring Me The Horizon: “Run”
- FIDLAR: “Drone”
- French Montana (feat. Kojak Black): “Lockjaw”
- iSHi (feat. French Montana, Wale, & Raekwon): “We Run”
- P. Diddy, Black Rob & Mark Curry: “Bad Boy For Life”
- Travis Barker & Yelawolf: “Out of Control”
- Twenty One Pilots: “Ride”
- Yellow Claw (feat. Lil Eddie): “We Made It”
WWE 2K17 will be the fourth in a series of licensed video games as part of a multi-year exclusive partnership with publisher, 2K. The company is well-known to video game sports fans, developing similar titles for MLB and the NBA—the latter of which serving as 2K Sport’s debut into eSports.
Sports games such as WWE naturally lend themselves to cross-promotion with the industries they depict—encouraging fans to play the game and selecting popular sports stars to grace the games’ cover. Each year, the cover star is presented to gaming and wrestling audiences with fanfare, giving the athletes opportunities to cross-promote with their followers. This year it’s Brock Lesnar.
Having Lesnar on the cover is sure to be a popular choice with wrestling fans, but it’s not the only promotion that 2K Sports is putting behind the game. In May, it revealed that Bill Goldberg, a popular face from the old World Championship Wrestling days, would be making his debut in the game as a pre-order bonus. Both 2K Sports and the WWE are expected to promote WWE 2K17 leading up to its release, including activities that tie in with SummerSlam on August 21.
As for the game’s soundtrack, 2K’s partnership with the Grammy-award-winning hip-hop artist, producer and entrepreneur offers some valuable cross-promotional opportunities for both sides. While 2K attracts music fans to its game franchise (or at a minimum, to the soundtrack), “Diddy” is free to promote his Bad Boy 20-Year Family Reunion Tour to WWE fans. The music tour begins August 25 in Columbus, OH, while WWE 2K17 hits shelves on October 11.
