From 8-Bit to Epic: Modern Video Game Soundtracks in Sports
In the dimly lit arcades of the 1980s, amidst the blips and bleeps, a revolution was underway. Video game music, once simple melodies on limited hardware, began its journey from humble beginnings to the masterpieces of today. In the last 40 years, video game soundtracks have become their own music genre.
Gone are the days of monotonous loops; instead, we find ourselves immersed in dynamic scores that enhance gameplay.
I connected with my friend LP, part of the music team at Ubisoft to discuss the state of video game music today and how teams should not overlook these dynamic soundtracks for their in game entertainment..
JA: How long have you been at Ubisoft?
o LP: I’ve been part of the Ubisoft Music team for more than 13 years now. Our team of 15 professionals is based in Montreal, Paris and Shanghai. I previously worked for an indie music publishing company based in Montreal, Canada.
JA: How much music does Ubisoft produce for their games every year?
o LP: Yearly, we produce hundreds of music tracks. We had around 40 album releases (singles or full soundtracks from our games) in 2023. The scope varies from game to game, but to give an idea, massive open world games such as Assassin’s Creed or Avatar: Frontier of Pandora can contain around 3 hours of music. Small or mid-size projects like Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown or TrackMania have more or less 45-60 minutes of original music. We also create dozens of custom tracks for our trailers and marketing assets each year. We’re also extremely proud to have won the first-ever Grammy in the Best Score Soundtrack for Video Games category with the soundtrack of the game Assassin's Creed Valhalla: Dawn of Ragnarök composed by Stephanie Economou
JA: How early do you start planning for the music soundtrack prior to the release of the game?
o LP: Game development takes a long time, usually multiple years between the conception and release. Therefore, for both original music composed for projects like Assassin’s Creed and licensed music for yearly games like Just Dance, we have plenty of time to craft the best soundtrack and license the perfect songs.
JA: Are you a gamer? How long have you been playing and what’s your favorite game?
o LP: Eh! I’m Canadian, so the NHL series is an all-time favorite since SNES. I also love funky games like Katamari Damacy for quick gaming sessions or epic adventure games like Assassin’s Creed when I have more time.
JA: You use music from a variety of genres depending upon the game. Do you collaborate with many artists or do you have full time composers who work for Ubisoft?
o LP: For original in-game music, we work almost exclusively with external composers, which we select after a thorough creative process to make sure we get the best for each game. They come from everywhere in the world and authenticity is at the center of our projects when it comes to finding the perfect musical match. We also create multiple custom songs for either specific in-game cutscenes or Pop anthems for our game Just Dance. Over the years, we partnered with multiple AAA artists as well, for example recently with One Republic for an original song around the release of Assassin’s Creed Mirage. Finally, we license a lot of existing music for our open world games such as The Crew, Far Cry and Watch Dogs, but also for trailers where the perfect licensed songs can be extremely powerful to convey emotions.
JA: Do you have a favorite video game soundtrack?
o LP: I love the soundtrack from the latest Zelda games, it’s amazing to see how it evolved but kept the themes, spirit and epicness of the very first games. There’s also the OST from our very own game Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon, created by the synthwave duo Power Glove, which is such a perfect match with the game’s retro-futuristic comedic homage to 80’s sci-fi movies.
JA: Finally, can you give me a top 10 Ubisoft tracks I can find on Spotify?
o LP: We have a dedicated playlist on Spotify to listen to Ubisoft Classics themes and songs see below or follow the link HERE: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1Dz9R82Atv2TGU4AdvX7vg?si=cf9806ff95b24cc7
I’d like to thank LP for his time and input into the video game music industry. Next time you plug in your headphones, and fire up your console, take a moment to pay attention to the meticulously crafted soundtrack that has been prepared for your gaming experience. The soundtrack is not just background noise but an integral part of the adventure.