At the upcoming Grammys, the Recording Academy will showcase the best soundtrack for video games and other interactive media for the first time, extending the awards to the $200 billion music composers in the video game industry — a valuation roughly seven times higher. than that of the current music industry.
“By creating this path to recognition specifically for the global gaming/interactive media industry,” explains academy president Panos A. Panay, “we hope we can connect with a huge community of composers whose music is as important as the art is being created for record, film, television and other media, more importantly, we hope that a Grammy recognition, bestowed by colleagues, will only accelerate innovation and creative expression in the space.”
Here’s a closer look at the scores likely to be vying for the new prize, from the unpredictable soundtrack to a cat’s adventures through the underbelly of a city to the sounds of one of the fastest-selling video games ever.
Horizon Forbidden West
Guerrilla Games
composers: Joris de Man, The Flight, Niels van der Leest, Julie Elven, Oleksa Lozowchuk, Melissa R. Kaplan
The game: This action role-playing game (RPG), the sequel to 2017 Horizon Zero Dawnfollows the character Aloy as she explores a post-apocalyptic version of the western United States after an extinction event caused by animal machines.
The credits: Horizon Forbidden West‘s composers scored the kill zone, Dead Rising and FIFA games series, as well as Horizon Zero Dawn.
The music: In front of Horizon Forbidden West‘s monumental soundtrack, spanning multiple volumes and seven hours of music, de Man and his company derived their musical achievements from Horizon Zero Dawn and increased their greatness across the board. Delicate strings adorn luscious walls of instrumentation that swell suggestively and make the adventure sequel’s gameplay even more enjoyable. Some of the tracks, such as “In the Flood,” feature angelic vocal accompaniments, making this soundtrack even stronger as one of this year’s strongest games.
strayed
Annapurna Interactive
Composer: Yann van der Cruyssen
The game: This highly anticipated indie adventure game follows a cat who must navigate to the surface of an underground walled city filled with strange robots, machines and mutated bacteria.
The credits: Van der Cruyssen has composed music for other indie games such as big story, Knytt Stories and saira.
The music: Equal parts terrifying and exciting, Van der Cruyssen’s unpredictable soundscapes match strayed‘s maze-like, multi-layered city. Airy synths and eclectic percussion linger just long enough for listeners to relax into the gameplay – but, as for the game’s feline protagonist, surprises often lurk.
Elden Ring
Courtesy of Bandai Namco Entertainment & Sony Music Masterworks
composers: Tsukasa Saitoh, Shoi Miyazawa, Yuka Kitamura, Yoshimi Kudo, Tai Tomisawa
The game: In this open-world action RPG, players must traverse the vast Lands Between to repair the broken Elden Ring and become the Elden Lord.
The credits: Elden Ringcomposers have written for the dark souls series, Bloodborne and more.
The music: With more than 16 million units sold since its release in February, according to Japanese gaming company Bandai Namco, Elden Ring is the legendary publisher’s fastest-selling title ever – and like its epic open world and many of its most challenging bosses, Elden Ring‘s unforgettable, compelling soundtrack is huge. Much of the tense, slow-burning and unsettling score could serve as the soundtrack to a well-crafted horror blockbuster. But along with its foreboding builds and occasional terror comes sheer and often triumphant beauty, highlighted with elegant strings and choral singing.
Tunic
Jon Marshall
composers: Life-formed, Janice Kwan
The game: This one Zelda-inspired isometric action adventure game’s fox protagonist has to solve puzzles and discover secrets while defeating monsters.
The credits: Lifeformed (real name Terence Lee) and Kwan make ambient lo-fi music both together and separately.
The music: Made in seven years, Tunic‘s soundtrack reflects the composers’ time together in Taiwan with its energy, complexity and captivating textures. Over 60 tracks and a running time of three hours, the score accentuates the charming artistic style, vibrant worlds and mysterious undertones of the hit game. Lifeformed and Kwan’s work usually combines soothing ambient sounds with cute, effervescent blooms and hypnotic vibrations, but some tracks, like “The Captain,” build to intense crescendos that leave listeners guessing. Don’t be fooled by this little indie – it has one of the biggest soundtracks of the year.
Kirby and the Forgotten Land
Thanks to Nintendo
composers: Hirokazu Ando, Jun Ishikawa, Yuki Shimooka, Yuuta Ogasawara
The game: This action-adventure platform is the latest installment in the long-running series starring the titular pink Nintendo character.
The credits: The composers have made music for various Kirby games from 1992.
The music: Based on 30 years of experience scoring the titular character’s adorable adventures, Kirby and the Forgotten LandThe composers integrate callbacks to cues and themes from previous games in the series for a soundtrack that will satisfy longtime fans while also introducing newcomers to Kirby‘s happy-go-lucky music, flush with beachy tones, dreamy sequences and lots of intense and upbeat boss fight material.
This story appears in the October 8, 2022 issue of Billboard.
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