MUSIC+SOUND AWARDS 2023 WINNER SPOTLIGHT
BEST SOUND DESIGN IN A VIDEO GAME
BEST SOUND DESIGN IN A VIDEO GAME
Winners of Music+Sound Awards 2023 Best Sound Design in a Video Game? PlayStation Studios + Sony Santa Monica, Sony Interactive Entertainment for the INCREDIBLE sound on epic action-adventure game, God of War Ragnarök.
Let’s hear from the team and see exactly why they nabbed the trophy…
“The Sound of God of War Ragnarök is a collaboration between Sony Santa Monica and the audio team at PlayStation Studios Creative Arts.
The overall direction for the game was to build upon the foundation of God of War 2018 by creating a polished, more focused experience for players. We improved the presentation and mix through new content and techniques to tell this complex story. Our vision was to achieve a perfect balance between SFX, Dialogue, and Music while also pushing and pulling this balance to create sonic drama and emotion from start to finish. We wanted the quiet moments to shine with detail and the subtle nuances of the narrative, and for the combat to hit as hard as Thor’s hammer, while the puzzles act as the glue in-between.
The audio for the main cast heavily supported their complex character arcs. The style and intensity of their combat efforts changed as the characters evolved throughout the story. We sonically crafted each realm and creature class to have its own distinct identity to help the player recognize important tells during hectic combat situations and increase overall readability. To achieve this, we used the Wwise HDR system and an Enemy Threat System, as well as frequency-based ducking that was developed in house and with a heavy focus on readability, clarity, and transparency.
Another top priority was to ensure a seamless blend between cinematics and game play. This was done through strict LUKFS standards and creative implementation to support a no-cut camera. The believability of the world is expressed through detailed sonic textures that make the game feel tactile and weighty. Dynamic early reflection and a robust propagation system help ground the player in the massive and immersive world of God of War Ragnarök.
We also prioritized accessibility, collaborating with multiple departments to ensure that everyone who wanted to go on this journey would be able to adjust their experience to best suit their needs.
Our goal was to surprise the player with a ‘sonic story’ behind each door, cave, and crevasse as they explore the nine realms of God of War Ragnarök.”
CREDITS:
God of War Ragnarök
PlayStation Studios + Sony Santa Monica, Sony Interactive Entertainment
Supervising Sound Designers: Jeremy Rogers + Michael Kent
Sound Design Leads: Alex Previty, Beau Anthony Jimenez, Bryan Higa, Justin E. Bell, Nick Tomassetti + Stephen Schappler
Senior Sound Designers: Aaron Sanchez, Ash Read, Dennis Bestafka, Derrick Espino, Jeshua Whitaker, Lewis Everest , Noburo Masuda + Tsubasa Ito
Sound Designers: Andres Herrera, Chris Kokkinos, Dan Ramos, Danny Barboza, Danny Hey, Kei Matsuo, Koji Niikura, Lewis Barn, Maria Rascon, Presley Hynes, Prin Keerasuntonpong, Robert Castro, Satsuki Sato + TJ Schauer
Technical Sound Designers: Sean LaValle, Cameron Sonju, Enoch Choi, Gavin Booth, Roy Lancaster, Charles Dworetz, Bradley Gurwin, Mallorie Lesher, Dave St. Jean, Klaudia Schaffer, Aaron Cendan, Ashton Faydenko, Jessie Chang, Skylar Chen
Sound Producers: Chloe Kishel + Hayden Griffin
Senior Foley Artist: Joanna Fang
Foley Artists: Alicia Stevenson, Dawn Fintor + Matt Davies
Senior Foley Editors: Blake Collins + Jeff Gross
Director: Eric Williams
