Photo from AP

Kodak is making the jump to the virtual world in the new Cities XL from developer Monte Cristo.

Cities XL is the latest in the PC city builder game that puts players in the position as mayor and let’s them take care of the city.

Offered to players, the new Kodak Express Digital Solutions store can be included in their game as well as the Kodak Theater from Hollywood. Kodak will be displayed on billboards and will sponsor contests within the Cities XL community.

“The Kodak brand is ubiquitous; we’re found in every city, so it only made sense that Kodak became a part of the CITIES XL experience,” said Jeffrey W. Hayzlett, Chief Marketing Officer and Vice President, Eastman Kodak Company. “Today, in addition to traditional marketing channels, we reach many people on the Internet where we have a significant social media and online advertising presence. Through interactive channels like CITIES XL, we reach consumers in yet another innovative outlet.”

More about Cities XL from the Press Release:
In Cities XL, players build up their cities in full 3D from a selection of 500 buildings, while trying to keep the population happy – in the beta, players have managed to get up to 17,000,000 inhabitants in one city! In the game, would-be mayors have to take account pollution, traffic and trade in order to build a perfect city.

Cities are built on amazing 3D maps (such as Mount St Helens), and the game reflects that impressive scale, letting players zoom out to a Google Earth-type perspective or right into street level to watch your inhabitants going about their day.

You can also go online and build cities on a planet with up to 10,000 other urban centers per planet. Here you can trade excess resources, chat with friends, specialize your city to corner your local market, or build Megastructures that aren’t available in the single-player game.

Planet Mode Features

Web-play/Online play
- All trading activities are playable on the Web (without being connected to the game). During your lunch break, you can continue trading from any PC.
- You can also display your creations on the Web to maintain your social network outside the game.

Hunting for Blueprints
- Blueprints are architectural plans you can use to start constructing exceptional buildings: the Megastructures.
- These Megastructures require a large quantity of resources and the collaboration of players to be built. They bring important bonuses to the cities in which they are built.
- Blueprints are awarded at random on the players’ webpage or can be won by maintaining trade activities for multinational Megastructures (the ultimate specialization building will be introduced at the end of October).

Regular Content for Download

The first content pack will include:
- Old England Pack: 10 residences, 1 hotel, 1 shop, 1 restaurant, 1 plaza, 1 church 2-lane road textures, 1 decoration based on Strafford upon Avon.
- A realistic map of Rio de Janeiro featuring the famous statue of Christ the Redeemer.
- Sponsored Content: a Ford dealership producing real Ford cars.
- Megastructures (buildings that are erected with the help of other players after obtaining the Blueprint): Glass Gherkin (London), Tokyo Imperial Palace, Alcatraz.
- One new farm model.

The second content pack will include:
- Chinatown Pack: 10 residences, 1 hotel, 1 shop, 1 restaurant, 1 arch, 1 temple, 1 plaza
- A realistic map of Manhattan featuring the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building and the road network.
New maps
- An animated Ferris wheel
- Blueprints: three stadiums: soccer, baseball and football

The third content pack will include:
- A bus company, roads and service vehicles.
- The possibility to create your own bus lines by deciding where to place each stop.
- A selection of US, British or Continental Europe roads.
- A selection of different service vehicles depending on the countries.

For more information about CITIES XL, please visit www.citiesxl.com.