Whether Austin's name is one you recognise or not, any self-respecting gamer of the last 20 years will undoubtedly recognise his work.
BAFTA-winning and Grammy-nominated, Wintory is preparing to conduct next year's BAFTA Games in Music concert, so naturally we took the opportunity to ask the man himself what makes a good video game soundtrack?
"In other words, it never really feels finished. But when I just go and play a game and I want to kind of take stock of how well I think it's going, there's a few criteria.
"Perfect example, actually, from one of my absolute favourites from this year is Lorien Testard's music from Expedition 33, which heavily draws on piano and guitar plus voice, which is not exactly revolutionary, but it's so committed to that aesthetic that, even though there's actually quite a lot else to it, it really takes on a character by virtue of its steadfast commitment."
"Every time we're writing a score, sometimes it's, you know, two, three, four hours of music we have to write, and so you're constantly going, 'Well, I guess I already did this. I'll just reach for another tool in my toolbox.'
"That four hours of music feels like one thing that's just broken up into a bunch of smaller parts, but that it really is coming from a single place.
Beyond the more complex concepts of scoring a video game, Wintory adds that he is "a sucker for a memorable melody".
Wintory notes that scoring for video games poses the unique challenge of integrating music and gameplay.
"Does the music actually weave into the gameplay, or is it basically just the equivalent of hitting play on the right track at the right moment?
"That could be fine, but for me, the true greats have to be seamlessly woven in, where you almost can't see where the edges are. To me, that's the real art of video game music that makes it so distinct from all others."
Interestingly, for a composer of Wintory's talent and experience, how that process begins is not much clearer.
"They don't really know what to do yet with music, and they're kind of looking to me to help find the answer, as opposed to 'Here's what we're looking for. We think you'd be a great fit. Can you just be off and running?'
"And so, I wish I could say there's some process or some kind of trick to it. It's literally just, well, what's the first thing that came to mind? I guess I'll try that."
"I usually think about it a lot. I'm a big fan of having a kind of R&D phase where you just try to not write anything, and just let ideas simmer, and then things start to kind of connect in your subconscious.
"But at some point, once I've done enough of that, I just start trying things. And sometimes, you get lucky and you just, for whatever reason, land on a thing that everyone feels good about and seems to gel with.
"And then, other times, it's 'Let's try a few things'. Sometimes, multiple competing ideas will come to mind, and I'll just try them all, and I'll put all of them, like a buffet, in front of the team and say, 'Here's one, here's another'."
View Green Video on the source website"I'm actually working on a project right now where they said, 'Let's start with a main theme', which is very often where people want to start, because it's sort of like the headline of the article, or the thesis statement of the essay, you know?
"So, on a whim, I quickly whipped up the third one, and the third one was the one that they were like, 'Oh, that totally feels like this game', and it was of those that I almost didn't include because it seemed superfluous, so sometimes that's how it goes."
"I honestly don't even really understand the process because creativity is so bizarre, where it's like, if you just think hard enough, something that doesn't exist starts to exist.
BAFTA Games in Concert takes place on 31st January 2026. Tickets are available to purchase from the Southbank Centre.
Check out more of our Gaming coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Hence then, the article about journey composer austin wintory on what makes a great video game soundtrack it doesn t really logically make sense was published today ( ) and is available on Radio Times ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Journey composer Austin Wintory on what makes a great video game soundtrack: "It doesn't really logically make sense" )
Also on site :