Composer News, Tips, Tricks & Ideas

If you're looking for new ways to scratch your Baldur's Gate 3 itch, and can get to London somehow next May, then the recently announced Symphony of the Realms concert is worth knowing about. The game's soundtrack, composed by Borislav Slavov will, for the first time be performed live in concert at the Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall, London, on May 4, 2024.

Next year, Baldur's Gate 3 will be hosting a concert at Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall in London, bringing the game's music to life in what is being called "The Symphony of the Realms".

Bungie has reportedly cut ties with Michael Salvatori, the veteran composer who has worked with the studio for over 25 years, amid a round of layoffs at the studio.

Destiny 2 developer Bungie's latest wave of layoffs appears to include various studio veterans who have been around for over 24 years, since before the days of the original Halo.

Many elements go into making a great video game. It’s not enough to have incredible visuals and gameplay. You need to have music that can make a gamer feel everything that’s being shown on stage. Over the course of gaming history, all sorts of incredible musical scores have been composed to help elevate titles from one level to another. Insomniac Games isn’t above that, and for their now three games with Spider-Man, they’ve made sure that each title has something special musically, with Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 being the latest example of that. And now, the team at Insomniac and Sony want you to hear every beat this Thursday.

The BlizzCon Guild Clash goes live Saturday, November 4! Get ready to watch Echo, Golden Guardians, Liquid, and Method match up in a variety of competitions including arenas, dungeons, and a special showcase within Amirdrassil, the Dream’s Hope for the first time. Enjoy the all-day show live at BlizzCon on Twitch and YouTube on Saturday, November 4 at 10:00am PDT (17:00GMT)

We’re still swinging, soaring, and flying high after the recent release of the critically acclaimed Marvel’s Spider-Man 2.

Stardew Valley is one of the most successful indie games of all time, with lifetime sales of over 20 million copies since its launch in 2016. Since then, developer ConcernedApe has expanded the brand to include new ventures such as the Stardew Valley board game and is currently working on his next game, Haunted Chocolatier.

Enjoy the November 4th show where four of the most formidable guilds and organizations together to compete in a series of WoW Arenas, Dungeons, and Raid Boss encounters live from Blizzcon! Learn about the format and meet the teams that will be competing in the live WoW event.

There have been several close calls with asteroids in history. But did you know that not all asteroids have the same composition? According to NASA, the three primary classifications of asteroids are C-type, S-type, and M-type. C-type asteroids, which are composed primarily of carbon-rich substances, are the most frequent. S-type asteroids, which are made up mainly of silicate minerals, are less common. M-type asteroids, which are primarily composed of metal, are the least prevalent. One rare asteroid has recently piqued the interest of scientists as it is reportedly made of gold, silver and nickel deposits!

Cyberpunk 2077 developer CD Projekt Red, Netflix, and Milan Records have finally released the Cyberpunk: Edgerunners soundtrack, including the Franz Ferdinand theme song, «This Fire.» The soundtrack also features the outro song, «Let You Down» by Dawid Podsiadło, and others that play throughout the limited series anime like composer Akira Yamaoka’s «Whatever It Takes» and more. The soundtrack, which also features music by composers Marcin Przybyłowicz and P.T. Adamczyk, is available to stream today, but CDPR has revealed a vinyl release coming in early 2024; preorders are now open. 

Citigroup Inc. is planning to grant the majority of its over 40,000 coders access to generative artificial intelligence as Wall Street continues to embrace the burgeoning technology. 

EA Motive's Iron Man game has found one of its writers. Earlier this week, Canadian comic book author Ryan North announced on Twitter (X) to have joined the writing team for the upcoming game. He also told fans they're not ready for how amazing it's going to be.

Baldur's Gate 3 has spawned a wealth of fan art and fan fiction, but less has been said of the many fan-made song covers, both vocal and instrumental. Luckily, the game's composer and music director, Borislav Slavov, recently shared a surprising artist's cover of one of the RPG's most iconic songs, and folks, it's gotten stuck in my head like an unexpectedly pleasant Illithid tadpole. 

Final Fantasy 14 lead Naoki Yoshida has been reduced to tears after being complimented by the series’ original creator.

A composer has brought two titans of the ’90s together into one essential JRPG – Final Fantasy and Frasier.

Final Fantasy 14's producer and director, Naoki Yoshida (known within the MMO's community as Yoshi-P), was moved to tears after receiving some wholesome words from the founding father of the series.

Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi originally turned down the roleplaying game’s now-iconic soundtrack by Nobuo Uematsu - until the legendary composer simply changed the track order, that is.

Paradox Interactive's space-faring 4X strategy game Stellaris is preparing to fire the expansion cannon once more, blasting its new narrative-focused Astral Planes DLC across alternative dimensions and onto PC «later this year».

"This time around, we were dealing with a smaller and much more focused story. Although we were making a spy-thriller story, it was essential for me to bring out colors and emotions that went beyond what you might associate with a story in this genre," explains CD Projekt Red (CDPR) senior composer P.T. Adamczyk, discussing how he began creating the soundscape for Cyberpunk 2077's blockbuster expansion pack, Phantom Liberty.

Neal Stephenson has unveiled the plans of his Lamina1 blockchain company for an open metaverse in partnership with the Avalanche chain.

Disney and developer Dlala Studios announced Disney Illusion Island in 2022, and it immediately shot up high on my list of games to play this year. It did so for several reasons – its beautifully realized visuals, top-notch voice acting, and, of course, the potential to play as some of my favorite characters in a Metroidvania-esque adventure. That wasn't all, though; The snippets of composer David Housden's score in the reveal trailer indicated this team was on to something. 

Nintendo has confirmed that Super Mario Bros. Wonder was not inspired by the Super Mario Bros. Movie.

Unsurprisingly, AI dominated Gartner's annual list of the top 10 strategic trends for the coming year. (Here's last year's list.) But I was interested in how Chris Howard, the firm's global chief of research, focused on how much is left to be done in AI and in other technologies.

It’s almost time for Alan Wake 2, but if you haven’t played the original (or if you’d like to replay it before you jump into the sequel) you can get Alan Wake, as well as seven other spooky games, for $13. 

PTW‘s Side division has acquired Vibe Avenue, an award-winning interactive music and sound studio, for $1.46 million.

Oh, Halsin. He has so much going on, what with running the Druid Grove (not very well) and trying to end the Shadow Curse. Alas, the Baldur's Gate 3 companion will always be best known for one thing, and one thing only - you can have sex with him while he's in bear form.

A number of important events have happened today in AI space that seek to better harness the potential of this tool as well as highlight its negative aspects. Japan is to draft AI guidelines to address overreliance on the new tool; SEC Chair Gensler warns of AI risks to financial stability; Pastor who used AI for church service says It won't happen again; Creative professionals embrace AI image generators but warn about misuse- this and more in our daily roundup. Let us take a look.

In a historic moment, NASA's Psyche Asteroid probe embarked on a groundbreaking journey to a space rock laden with rare metals. This remarkable NASA mission represents the first-ever exploration of a metallic world, diverging from the conventional rocky or icy compositions of most asteroids. Scientists believe that this enigmatic celestial body could unlock insights into the elusive cores of Earth and other rocky planets, speculating that it might be the remnants of an ancient planet.

The last person in the world who thought Danny Elfman would play Coachella was Danny Elfman.

Oh to be a Stardew Valley fan, enjoying the stellar score in live concert, among an audience of fellow fans. For fans who score a ticket to the forthcoming Stardew Valley Concert Tour, this dream can be a reality.

Reverse: 1999 is just a couple of weeks away from its exciting global launch, and with it comes a bunch of new QoL changes. In Volume 2 of Devs in the Suitcase (the game’s version of developer notes!), they list each and every improvement implemented into the game ahead of launch. 

If you just can't get enough Stardew Valley in your life, here's a different way to indulge in its unrelenting life sim coziness: The Stardew Valley «Festival of Seasons» concert series, an international musical tour featuring a selection of music from the game performed by a chamber orchestra.

The Last of Us Part 2 may be headed to PlayStation Plus in some form.

AMD's upcoming Ryzen 7000 "Phoenix" APUs for the AM5 platform might be utilizing the Zen 4 and Zen 4C hybrid architecture configuration.

A reference to a «remastered» version The Last of Us Part 2 has been spotted on the profile of a Naughty Dog developer, lending further credence to suggestions an enhanced version of the 2020 PlayStation 4 game is on the way.

I think, all throughout my childhood, no game franchise touched my heart more than .Hack. For those out of the loop, .Hack (read as “Dot Hack”) is a mixed media franchise composed of games, anime, novels, manga, etc. The series set the stage for the “trapped in a VRMMO” trope all the way back in 2002.

In 2018, an anime by the name of Caligula aired, and it wasn’t very good. However, I caught a glimpse of something worthwhile buried under the mountain of trash. So, when I found out the anime was based on a forgotten PlayStation Vita game, The Caligula Effect, and that it’d receive a remastered version subtitled Overdose the following year, I decided to give it a shot. Unfortunately, it wasn’t very good, either.

The Last of Us 2: Remastered has been spotted on the LinkedIn profile of a Naughty Dog developer.

It appears The Last of Us 2: Remastered is on the way, as accidentally confirmed by one of Naughty Dog's developers. 

In a new video, Intel has demoed the video playback capability of its Meteor Lake iGPU and its Low-Power E-Cores.

It may surprise you to know that Idris Elba has musical collaborations with Taylor Swift, Wiley and Paul McCartney under his belt, and now we can add to that his contributions to Phantom Liberty: a 3 track EP (The Phantom Files) and full DJ set. Elba's acting career may overshadow his musical output, but he does have an extensive back catalogue of songs as well as a seriously impressive list of collaborators.

The horrifically frightening indie horror game Stray Souls just got a new trailer as well as a release date, and let us warn you, it's not for the faint of heart. 

Blizzard Entertainment announced that Warcraft Rumble (previously known as Warcraft Arclight Rumble) will be released globally on November 3rd for Android and iOS devices. Pre-registration is already available on the Play Store and App Store and grants the following in-game items upon launch:

October, the spookiest month of the year, is officially upon us, if you're looking for a new horror game to celebrate the occasion, the indie horror title Stray Souls is launching later this month.

Versus Evil has announced that Jukai Studio’s horror game Stray Souls will release on October 25, 2023. It is coming to PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, and Xbox One platforms.

Upcoming old-school RTSTempest Rising is bringing in renowned video game composer Frank Klepacki.

Tempest Rising already promises to be the Command and Conquer sequel that we’re seemingly not getting from EA any time soon, and it just got a whole lot better. Publisher 3D Realms reveals that C&C legend Frank Klepacki, responsible for many of the series’ most iconic soundtracks, is composing music for its upcoming game.

Project Voltage’s first musical track has been released.

Clockwork Labs has found the right musical talent to bring their independent, cross-platform MMORPG, Bitcraft to life, as it gets closer to alpha. Composer Austin Wintory will compose the game’s music along with Canadian composer and vocalist, Rachel Hardy. 

As the Intel Meteor Lake launch nears, rumors on the next-gen Arrow Lake & Lunar Lake CPUs have already started floating on the internet.

Upcoming fantasy MMORPG Tarisland is making its way towards the next closed beta test in November. Now we know whose music will be part of the experience, as the MMORPG will feature award-winning composer, Russell Brower.

Between Diablo 3, WoW, Overwatch, and Starcraft, Russell Brower has helped shape some of the greatest Activision Blizzard games of the last 15 years. Now, the legendary composer is moving onto a new massively-multiplayer project, as he joins the team behind Tarisland, the upcoming RPG with shades of World of Warcraft that is scheduled for a new closed beta later this year. If you’ve haven’t heard of Tarisland before, or needed a little more convincing before trying it out, Brower’s iconic music might be just the thing, as developer Tencent aims to rival WoW.

The Talos Principle 2, Serious Sam studio Croteam's follow-up to its acclaimed 2014 first-person puzzle adventure, will launch for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC on 2nd November.

Are you a student trying to get more done in less time? Don't worry; there are some awesome apps out there to help you work smarter, and a tad harder. These apps can make you a better, faster, and more efficient student. Time management is crucial for success in your studies, and it also leaves you with more time for your other interests and self-care. Let's dive into the top 5 productivity apps for students.

There’s plenty to appreciate in Starfield. You get gorgeous looks at outer space, intense shootouts with Spacer Scum, and some good companions to enjoy your adventure with. The game also features a stellar soundtrack courtesy of audio director Mark Lampert and composer Inon Zur.

Wicked Saints Studios raised $3.5 million in an oversubscribed seed funding round co-led by Riot Games and Oregon Venture Fund.

Google Messages has received a small but very important update, that can boost the popularity of this Android-based messaging app. Google Messages received its big update in July where the entire home screen was redesigned. It replaced the navigation drawer and introduced key branding into the Android app. Alongside, the search filters were also tweaked slightly. But now, it has received yet another powerful upgrade in the form of a new forwarding user interface. This new UI supports sending messages to multiple contacts at the same time. This will finally save users the trouble of copy-pasting the same message to different recipients one by one.

Following up on the recent Switch release of Baten Kaitos I & II HD Remaster, Nintendo posted an interview with some of the original developers. Director and art director Yasuyuki Honne, planning director Koh Kojima, character designer Nakaba Higurashi, and composer Motoi Sakuraba all joined in to wax nostalgic. Thankfully, they shared relief while looking at how well both games have held up over the past two decades.

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We're thrilled to announce the return of GamesBeat Next, hosted in San Francisco this October, where we will explore the theme of «Playing the Edge.» Apply to speak here and learn more about sponsorship opportunities here. At the event, we will also announce 25 top game startups as the 2024 Game Changers. Apply or nominate today!

NVIDIA has announced that its latest DLSS version 3.5 will be launching on September 21. It had previously revealed that DLSS 3.5 will, in fact, be compatible with all RTX cards to help provide a boost to titles including the updated Cyberpunk 2077. This includes Ray Reconstruction to help provide an even more beautiful and realistic experience for titles that support it. New AI-powered techniques will make their way to tensor cores across the board for NVIDIA RTX cards with the highlight being Cyberpunk 2077 2.0 at release. Ray Reconstruction will replace hand-tuned denoisers, which resolve sampled rays with a NVIDIA supercomputer-trained artificial intelligence network that will generate higher-quality pixels between sampled rays.

Omega 6 The Video Game, the new title from original Star Fox and F-Zero artist Takaya Imamura, has been signed by a publisher and is scheduled for release on Nintendo Switch and Steam in 2024.

The recent and accidental Microsoft document and email dump, courtesy of its legal wranglings with the FTC, is turning out to be the mother of all console leaks. Along with game roadmaps extending out as far as 2030, including revenue forecasts for specific game titles, and juicy insights into upcoming refreshes for the Xbox Series X and S consoles, there are details concerning the next all-new Xbox console, due in 2028. The biggie? Microsoft is seriously considering a switch away from x86 CPU cores to Arm.

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Intel's Innovation 2023 event is underway in San Jose. The headline is the launch of the exciting Meteor Lake architecture. As a laptop oriented architecture, Meteor Lake chips aren't necessarily going to be the ultimate gaming CPUs, but next gen chips may well be, as Intel's CEO revealed the company is developing chips with 3D stacked cache—which is something games in particular can take advantage of.

There’s a lot to love about open world gacha game Genshin Impact, but one of its most consistent elements is its soundtrack. So popular is the PS5 and PS4 game’s score that HoYoverse recently announced a series of global concerts, which will see the release’s music performed by live orchestras around the world.

The original soundtrack for Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty has hit music streaming platforms a good ten days ahead of the expansion's release on the 26th September (you can find your preferred platform through this link). Composed by the incredibly talented P.T. Adamczyk and Jacek Paciorkowski, this is the music that you'll hear during cutscenes, exploration, and in combat.

Intel has showcased its next-gen Glass Substrate packaging technology which will replace existing organic materials & offer higher interconnects.

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Super Mario RPG will let players switch between the new and original versions of its soundtrack, which can also work as an excellent accessibility option. 

Need a little help with today's Wordle? You've got it. Whether you're hoping to find general tips and tricks to enhance every guess, a specific clue for today's game, or need the answer to the September 17 (820) Wordle before you run out of guesses, you'll find everything you need right here.

Series AI has raised $7.9 million in a seed round led by venture capital firm A16z Games.

Drop has revamped its own-brand mechanical keyboard collection with the Drop Shift, Alt, and Ctrl V2 gaming keyboards. The new-and-improved keyboards, released after Drop’s acquisition by Corsair, enjoy a range of upgrades over their predecessors, and Drop will be hoping they warrant a mention in best gaming keyboard lists, competing against big hitters such as Razer and HyperX.

Cyberpunk 2077's Update 2.0 - which adds new skill trees and perks, vehicle combat, and revamped police responses to the FPS-RPG - will launch on September 21st. That's a little before the release of the paid expansion, Phantom Liberty, on September 26th.

After the Japanese Nintendo Direct, Nintendo updated the webpage for the Super Mario RPG remake. A few new details were revealed, including the fact that you can swap the soundtrack between the remastered and Super Nintendo versions.

In the world of big-budget video game developers, Bethesda Game Studios has the rare gift of consistency. Play one of its games and you know, more or less, what to expect from all of them: an expansive open world filled with every product a Staples and/or medieval Whole Foods ever sold, mannequin-like characters that will stiffly run through gunfire to ask you to deliver a magic cheese curd, and, most importantly, literature. Tons of books, letters, notes, and emails for you, the player, to read at your leisure, totally unbothered by whatever world-ending crisis you are ostensibly supposed to ward off.

It’s no secret that Genshin Impact’s soundtrack is a stunning array of musical numbers. Whether it’s the regional combat music or the melodic tunes that play as you explore the world of Teyvat. 

GKIDS announced via X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday that Blue Giant, the new anime film from Mob Psycho 100 and Death Parade director Yuzuru Tachikawa, will screen in select U.S. theaters on Oct. 8 and 9. In a follow-up post, the film distributor also announced that Blue Giant’s North America premiere will be hosted at the Japan Society building in New York City on Oct. 6, with a Q&A with the movie’s composer, Hiromi Uehara, scheduled after the screening.