Audio Source Magazine Summer 2021 by Game Audio Network Guild

THE

AUDIO SOURCE MAGAZINE

MUSIC, MAYHEM, AND MONEY CHANCE THOMAS

GUY WHITMORE

HONORED WITH LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

METAMORPHOSIS: AN INTERVIEW

MIKOLAI STROINSKI & GARRY SCHYMAN

2021 G.A.N.G. AWARDS RECAP THE AUDIO SOURCE MAGAZINE // SUMMER 2021• 2021• ISSUE 03

Proudly supporting the game audio industry since 2002 audiogang.org

CONTENTS

SUMMER 2021 • ISSUE 03 04

CONTRIBUTORS

LETTER FROM LEADERSHIP

Liza Rivera Salta, Treasurer of the Game Audio Network Guild, addresses the organization and community

WHAT’S THE BUZZ

UPCOMING EVENTS IN GAME AUDIO From Mikolai Stroinski and Garry Schyman to expos and conferences, we got you covered with some fantastic upcoming events.

COMPOSER SPOTLIGHT SERIES

MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: METAMORPHOSIS Composers Mikolai Stroinski and Garry Schyman sit down to discuss the score and collaboration process for Metamorphosis.

GUY WHITMORE: STUDIO HEAD OF FORMOSA INTERACTIVE SEATTLE, HONORED WITH LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD Paul Lipson and Michael Roache speak about Formosa’s success and the influence of Guy Whitmore on the team.

Music, Mayhem, and Money BY: CHANCE THOMAS

NEW BRONZE SPONSOR: STRAWBERRY HILL MUSIC

NEW MEMBER OF THE TEAM

TEAM UPDATES

TOP WINNERS OF THE NIGHT The Last of Us Part II, Hades, Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Ghost of Tsushima all take center stage.

OUR GENEROUS SPONSORS

AUDIO OF THE YEAR HALL OF FAME

A RECAP ON THE 19TH ANNUAL GAME AUDIO NETWORK GUILD AWARDS

Highlights, special guests, big winners, and more! 3

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CONTRIBUTORS CONTRIBUTORS: THE AUDIO SOURCE EXECUTIVE EDITORS Savina Ciaramella Liza Rivera Salta Brian Schmidt

ASSISTANT EDITORS Gabriella Ciaramella Nicole Yazmin

DESIGN

Nicole Yazmin

CONTRIBUTORS Gabby Belzer Liza Rivera Salta Garry Schyman Mikolai Stroinski Chance Thomas

PROOFREADERS Jack Weiss Kara Ford Tia Maxfield Jared Le Doux

SPECIAL THANKS

Sabrina Hutchinson Paul Lipson Michael Roache Guy Whitmore Formosa Interactive Pyramind Strawberry Hill Studios

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OFFICERS President

Executive Director

Treasurer

Brian Schmidt

Savina Ciaramella

Liza Rivera Salta

BOARD OF DIRECTORS MaryClare Brzytwa

Sabrina Hutchinson

Paul Lipson

Brian Schmidt

Anastasia Devana

Leslie Ann Jones

Shannon Potter

Becky Allen

Scott Gershin

Sally-anne Kellaway

Wilbert Roget, II

Guy Whitmore

Jason Hayes

Phil Kovats

Scott Selfon

ADVISORY BOARD Andrew Lipian

Jesse Harlin

Nassim Ait-Kaci

Sean Zhao

Austin Wintory

Ken Jacobsen

Penka Kouneva

Shauny Jang

Bonnie Bogovich

Kole Hicks

Rachel Robison

Shiloh Hobel

Channel Chen

Lennie Moore

Richard Jacques

Sean Beeson

Dren McDonald

Marty O’Donnell

Richard Savery

Max Davidoff-Grey

Elvira Bjorkman

STAFF Events Producer

Communications Manager

Assistant Communications Manager

Gabriella Ciaramella

Nicole Yazmin

Lucas Fehring Scholars Alumni Committee Co-Chair

Scholars Alumni Committee Co-Chair

Shauny Jang

Rachel Robison

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NETWORKING. EDUCATION. ADVOCACY. RECOGNITION.

THE GAME AUDIO NETWORK GUILD WAS FORMED IN 2002 BY DRIVEN INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS WITH A VISION TO ASSIST THOSE IN THE GAME AUDIO INDUSTRY TO SHARE, CONTINUALLY IMPROVE, AND EVOLVE THEIR CRAFT. AUDIOGANG.ORG

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LETTER FROM THE LEADERSHIP TEAM BY LIZA RIVERA SALTA TREASURER Greetings, It’s not often I am asked to write to our community so I’m in scuba gear and diving in! This is my sixth year as a Treasurer and Officer; a role which I feel fortunate to hold. What’s truly exciting about our organization is the continual evolution and reshaping efforts made to align with the game audio industry and ever changing world around us. In addition to our foundational 4 pillars: networking, education, advocacy, and recognition, the organization strives to provide value to a community of passionate, talented, hard-working individuals. As a recap, our organization offers: • Scholars’ Program & Alumni Committee - yielding energetic involved participants & alumni • Discounts, Giveaways and COVID Membership Relief - Who doesn’t love a discount? • Mentor Program - Do or do not. There is no try. • Diversity Program – “Real harmony takes a lot of voices, different voices.” • Networking / Educational Events Currently held monthly and virtually. • Awards Show - With a Red Carpet, Afterparty & our new Virtual Extravaganza! We’ve committed to further enhancing our brand offering by publishing this quarterly magazine providing an intimate and ‘inside look’ at our community and industry. Additionally, we refreshed our website with the goal of further enhancing its capabilities. All of this could not be possible without ‘Three T’s”: Time, Talent and Treasure.

Here, I take my proverbial hat off to our Communications Team, Committee/Member Volunteers, Sponsors, Advisory Board, Board of Directors and Officers. We are incredibly grateful for your contributions. My final message is to let you know the door is always open to anyone who may be interested in further supporting our organization as we are a uniquely gifted community. We are here for you and welcome and embrace fresh ideas, new energy and new members.

whatever each year brings will not only challenge us, but provide opportunities to band together, navigate and grow (cue uplifting audio track here). It’s been said “Happiness lies in the joy of achievement and the thrill of creative effort.” I am honored to be a member and Officer of our Game Audio Network Guild as there is no shortage of achievements or creative efforts. Cheers! — LIZA RIVERA SALTA

Looking ahead, we are optimistic that WWW.AUDIOGANG.ORG

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WHAT’S THE BUZZ

GAME AUDIO NETWORK GUILD & PYRAMIND SCHOLARSHIP WINNER

We are excited to announce that Tyler Campbell won a full-tuition scholarship to Pyramind’s Sound for Picture & Games program. Congratulations! We hope this will help you reach your audio goals. The runners-up are Marshall Williams, Brandon Seliga, and Justin Gant. WHAT WEBIN-ARE YOU WAITING FOR?

We have had some incredible webinars over the past few months! Our first meeting of 2021 was in February and featured Colin Grant, Amanda Niles, D’Anthoni Wooten and Emily E. Meo. They talked about diversity in the industry and their unique experiences navigating the field as the Covid-19 pandemic changed the landscape. We were ecstatic that it was well attended with 41 people showing up to listen and share their pandemic experiences. Congratulations to Jack Weiss on winning the iZotope plug-in giveaway package of Ozone 9 Standard and Stutter Edit! We hope the plugins are very useful to you. The VOD will be on our YouTube channel soon. Our most recent webinar on March 30th, “Ori and the Will of the Wisps: Making the Score and the Music System,” with Gareth Coker and Guy Whitmore as panelists, was definitely a hit. We had 63 attendees and even 8

more who purchased tickets with the intention of watching the webinar later on VOD. Gareth and Guy answered as many of the attendees’ questions as they could get through within the 1.5 hour event time, sharing a great wealth of knowledge and wisdom with the audience. Congratulations to Sander Van Santen on winning Sugar Bytes’s Sugar Bundle! We hope that you enjoy those fantastic plug-ins!

EVENTS IN 2021

Going forward, you can expect at least one webinar every month featuring professionals who are at the top of their game. Let us know on social media or by email what topics or types of online events you’d like to see!

Please join us, and if you like the events, let your friends in the industry know!

We have plenty of new webinars and online meetings planned for this upcoming year. There will be webinars diving into the making of the audio from games both old and new! We will also have events that will showcase the services our sponsors can provide our members, and casual Game Audio Network Guild hanginars (until in-person events can resume).

JACK WEISS I am thankful beyond words for the opportunities I have received and the friends I have made as a result of being a part of the Game Audio Network Guild over the last three years. Being chosen to win the iZotope plug-in giveaway package is so sweet. I have already started using them in my workflow to speed up production in both my professional and school work. Ozone has been especially helpful this time of year with the amount of schoolwork I have that needs quick mastering. I’m looking forward to many more great years with the Game Audio Network Guild.

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UPCOMING EVENTS COMING SOON! DIVERSITY SERIES CONTINUES! JOHN SMITH FROM BEATS TO PLAY GAMES TO AND BLACK IN GAME AUDIO This Game Audio Network Guild webinar is another installment in our diversity series. We will sit down with John Smith, founder of several Discord groups, and talk about his incredible work within our community.

22 JULY: EA PLAY LIVE Electronic Arts is set to reveal more of its upcoming video games. Expect FIFA, Madden, Need for Speed, Battlefield, Star Wars and much, much more.

Established in 2013, External Development Summit (XDS) is the only annual, international games industry event with a primary focus on external development for art, animation, audio, software engineering, QA and localization.

31 JULY: SCORING THE PATHLESS AUSTIN WINTORY Join Austin Wintory for an insightful and detailed discussion of his music from the hit game The Pathless. The Pathless recently won the Game Audio Network Guild Award for Best Music for an Indie Game. Don’t miss out on this incredible live webinar!

19 - 23 JULY: GAME DEVELOPERS CONFERENCE The Game Developers Conference (GDC) brings the game development community together to exchange ideas, solve problems, and shape the future of the industry across five days of education, inspiration, and networking. Attendees include programmers, artists, producers, game designers, audio professionals, and business leaders.

14 - 17 SEPTEMBER: XDS

23 - 27 AUGUST: DEVCOM

23 - 27 SEPTEMBER: GAME DEVS OF COLOR EXPO ONLINE 2021 The 2021 Game Devs of Color Expo (GDoCExpo) will be held online September 23-27. Now in its sixth year, Game Devs of Color Expo is dedicated to amplifying the creative power held by people of color in games. Every year since its successful freshman run in 2016, GDoCExpo has seen exponential growth, expanding into an energizing space for attendees to play the hottest upcoming games while learning from a series of exclusive talks by amazing speakers.

Europe’s biggest game developer conference will once again offer a wide range of events and sessions for international game developers, game publishers and services providers.

26 - 28 OCTOBER: DEVELOP:BRIGHTON

Learn more at gdconf.com

28 AUGUST:

PAUL LEONARD-MORGAN Join us for a fireside chat with awardwinning composer Paul Leonard-Morgan.

Develop:Brighton has been bringing together the European Game Dev community from global superstars to micro indies - since 2006. Come and learn from your peers and share your experiences, hear from the industry’s leading lights, get up-to-date with the latest tools, techniques and industry trends, plus network with 3,000 game dev professionals.

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FORMOSA INTERACTIVE LEADS 19TH ANNUAL G.A.N.G. AWARDS WINS GA M E AU DIO NETWOR K GUILD

GUY WHITMORE, STUDIO HEAD OF FORMOSA INTERACTIV SEATTLE, HONORED WITH LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWAR Formosa Interactive, a prominent division of Formosa Group, an industry leader and top creative innovator in post-production sound, swept the 19th Annual G.A.N.G. Awards with 11 wins for its work on fan-favorite games such as Sony Interactive Entertainment/ Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us Part II, as well as Sucker Punch Productions/Playstation 4’s Ghost of Tsushima and more. Most notably, award-winning video game composer and sound designer Guy Whitmore, Studio Head of Formosa Interactive Seattle, received the awards’ highest honor, the Lifetime Achievement Award. While Whitmore’s tenure with Formosa Group is recent, he has quickly become a crucial member of the interactive division’s executive leadership, working alongside Michael Roache, Studio Head 12

of Formosa Interactive L.A., and the interactive division’s SVP Paul Lipson. When asked about Formosa Interactive’s 11 G.A.N.G. Awards wins, countless nominations, as well as their colleague’s

Lifetime Achievement honor, Roache and Lipson couldn’t speak more highly about the success of the Formosa Interactive team and Whitmore’s worthiness of the distinction. Lipson commented, “Guy is a living legend and

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Our success is seeded in constantly adapting and diversifying, figuring out how we can work together in increasingly cohesive ways. - Paul Lipson

VE RD a trailblazing innovator in our industry, and this award is so appreciated and well-deserved. Guy shares and reflects our highest ideals at Formosa Group, and I’m thrilled to work with him as we grow our global team and service lines together.” Roache echoed the sentiment stating, “Working with Guy has been a real inflection point for the division, as well as the company, and he more than deserves this award. He came in with a philosophy of being more embedded in development, with a new co-development approach, working side-by-side with a company and integrating into their team, the future of video game development.” Roache concluded that Formosa Interactive’s success is truly a team effort; he continued “We spend a lot of time focusing on the quality of the team and growing with an increasingly diverse dynamic. As it stands, 50% of the division’s talent is female talent.”

I push technical and creative boundaries to the edge, constantly, but in video games, that edge is always moving. - Guy Whitmore WWW.AUDIOGANG.ORG

GA M E AU DIO NETWOR K GUILD Lipson agreed, stating, “Our success is seeded in constantly adapting and diversifying, figuring out how we can work together in increasingly cohesive ways.”

True leadership begins with autonomy and trust. - Guy Whitmore When Whitmore described his initial reaction to receiving the honor, he recounted that he was “shocked and humbled,” and when asked about his thoughts on what earns a Lifetime Achievement Award, he said, “Your mind first thinks of the work, which plays a big part, but it’s equally about team building, being active and mentoring in the interactive community. I push technical and creative boundaries to the edge, constantly, but in video games, that edge is always moving.” While Whitmore had worked independently since 2016, with a roster of impressive studios such as PopCap Games / EA Games, Microsoft Game Studios, Xbox and more, he was drawn to finally find a home with Formosa Group, noting that it came down to the culture, the people, the talentforward business model and, finally, the leadership approach. Whitmore concluded, “True leadership begins with autonomy and trust. If you start with trust, there’s more personal ownership, leading to inspiration and real creative control.” As the 19th Annual G.A.N.G. Awards came to a close, it seemed this was only the beginning for Whitmore and Formosa Interactive.

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COMPOSER SPOTLIGHT SERIES Starting this June, the Game Audio Network Guild is providing members with the opportunity to become part of our Spotlight Series. This new series helps to garner further community engagement and give members of the Game Audio Network Guild an opportunity to showcase their musical works through our platforms. It also allows composers to share their social media handles and current projects they are working on. Our community spotlight can be found on Mondays on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Be sure to connect with us on those platforms!

We kicked off the series by featuring Markus Zierhofer, a Berlin-based composer and founder of Audio Creatures. Markus is currently working on the game The Wagadu Chronicles. Of the game, Markus says, “the team is very diverse and is working on an African inspired game. We will also feature more local musicians and influences from different regions in Africa in the near future.” Next up, we had Kimberly Hou, a San Francisco-based composer and graduate of the Columbia UniversityJuilliard School Exchange Program in New York City.

She recently released the single “What Could Have Been,” which you can find on her Instagram at @kimberlyjhou. Be sure to be on the lookout for our next spotlight! Do you want to be a part of our Composer Spotlight Series? If you’re a member of G.A.N.G., then head on over to Facebook or go to the link below to add yourself to the list. This is your oppourtunity to reach far across our platforms and get your work heard. Don’t miss out!

INSTAGRAM - @GAMEAUDIONETWORKGUILD FACEBOOK - THE GAME AUDIO NETWORK GUILD TWITTER - GAME AUDIO NETWORK GUILD APPLY HERE

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Our Audio Track runs on Thurs 28 October and is for anyone involved in sound or music and video games. Audio professionals can expect to be inspired by the latest techniques and trends, plus hear from peers and experts who will share their own experiences and knowledge on all things sound related.

Audio sessions include:

Dialogue Performance and Design for Creatures, Monsters and Demons Will Tidman, Creative Assembly

Subtlety & Nuance: A Foley Masterclass & Live Demonstration

Glen Gathard, Jemma Riley-Tolch, Zoe Freed and Rebecca Heathcote, Molinare

How to Manage an Epic Music Project Remotely (in a global pandemic) Richard Jacques, Composer

Don’t Miss Our Super Early Bird Rates For the best rates book your Audio Pass now and save as much as £175! Offer ends 21 July. GANG members get an extra 10% off with this promo code: PBUWDK In partnership with R

Organised by

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MEMBER SPOTLIGHT:

MIKOLAI STROINSKI & GARRY SCHYMAN

The studio got back to me after a couple of months with materials ready to be scored. As I was “sensing” the game, looking for the colors and themes, the more time I spent with it , the more it became apparent that the orchestral atonal palette would be very fitting. My philosophy in life is “if you have something great, share it and it will become even greater.” So I decided to share this project with another composer. I’ve always recalled my GDC talks with Garry as something I would like to develop, and I enjoyed that we could connect on an intellectual basis in terms of music. Metamorphosis seemed like a perfect project to invite him over and so I did. He said “yes” right away!

GARRY SCHYMAN COMPOSER

MIKOLAI STROINSKI

COMPOSER

MIKOLAI: A couple of years ago I was giving a lecture in Warsaw, Poland about music for video games. I was talking mostly about Witcher 3. There were a lot of questions from the audience. Afterwards the organizers invited me for drinks to a nearby bar and many people from the audience followed along. At some point a group of people approached me and showed me their upcoming project Metamorphosis and asked me if I would be interested in scoring it. It was presented to me on an iPhone and from what I could tell, even at an early stage of development, it looked very interesting. After all, I hadn’t yet scored any game where you are a bug! (I scored Bee Simulator after those events took place). 22

T HE AUDIO SOUR C E MAGAZINE I was the one leading the project so to speak, mostly in terms of being in touch with Ovid Studio and making sure that the music works within the game and the implementation was done correctly. I also split the music between us 50/50. I gave Garry a piece that was happening deep in the “bug underworld” and he came up with Schoenberg 12-tone music for it. It was only natural for him to continue with this color, as he scored the following maps within the same realm. On my part, I did everything around it with the main inspiration being Bernard Herrmann. We wanted to utilize the Sprechstimme singing technique known from Schoenberg’s “Pierrot Lunaire”. Garry said he knew just the right person to do it in Los Angeles. He gave it a try by recording her but it was a flop! She really couldn’t do it well and Garry was close to giving up on the Sprechstimme idea. At the same time, being in Warsaw I thought to myself that even though LA has a plethora of amazing musicians, I could find someone who could pull it off while Warsaw has a strong classical music scene. So I did a little research and a couple of my friends pointed me unanimously to Joanna Freszel who not only is an amazing singer but also specializes in unconventional classical singing techniques. I invited her over and after a couple of minutes I started feeling that I hit a bull’s-eye! We had to give it some time to figure out what worked and what worked even better to illustrate the crazy in-game world.

She was spectacular! Afterwards I called Garry and told him to prepare for receiving some gold. He was ecstatic. As far as the approach went, each hub had its own piece of music. Most of it had the vocals in it. Considering however that the vocal was a very intense musical element in our score, looping it constantly would damage the gameplay. So to remedy this, after the first vocal pass, an instrumentalonly version came in and looped 2-3 times. Then the vocal version came back. There were also some more interactive parts, like endings that were synced with the in-game events. Overall we were very happy with the end result. I think the music tells the story even if you listen to it without the game.

Q: Did the unique point of view of the game, from a bug’s perspective, change your approach or the grandeur of the music?

GARRY: I suppose if we were scoring a project that was about insects that would be one approach, however, as we were scoring a game that is based on Franz Kafka’s completely unique and brilliant Expressionist book, it took on a whole new perspective. The insect aspect is quite interesting, and we definitely included sounds that reflected the insects which are quite prevalent in the game; however, the overall approach was playing more to the game’s ironic humor while also capturing the serious aspects of the story and gameplay. Q: Did you find any challenges while collaborating across the globe? Describe your collaborative process for a piece of the game.

GARRY: I was invited by Mikolai to join him on this project, and I was delighted to work with him for two reasons. First, he is a friend, and second, the subject matter (a Kafka game) immediately suggested the potential for a very

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creative approach would be possible. As it turned out I was right. We got to write music that you could never put in another project (film or game) because of the unique nature of Kafka’s books and ideas. The collaboration turned out to be seamless and quite easy. We shared themes but also (serendipitously) ended up scoring different aspects of the game, so that our unique scoring ideas fit our unique parts of the game. We also decided early on to include a vocalist singing in a style that captured the Expressionist period of music and art called Sprechstimme, which calls for the singer to perform the notes half spoken and half sung. This vocal style, invented by Arnold Schoenberg – perhaps the most famous Expressionist composer –- added such a unique and appropriate ironic vibe to the score that we ended up with something quite special.

Q: The vocal performance enhanced the score in a unique and surprising way. How did you discover the singer, Joanna? And what about her accolades and skill set inspired you?

GARRY: Once I suggested using Sprechstimme and Mikolai agreed, we turned to finding the right singer. After a misfire when I hired someone who could not sing as we wanted, Mikolai found Joanna Freschel, a singer

Q: How did you two split up the project?

GARRY: We ended up, without discussing it, starting to work on the two main aspects of the game, and once we started, it made sense to continue to the end as each required an equal amount of music. Really so much of it seemed to fit what Carl Jung described as synchronicity where we seemed to intuitively write music that worked beautifully together, even choosing, without discussing it, themes that shared the same important interval of the major 7th. Q: What was one unique takeaway from this project that has equipped you for success on future projects?

GARRY: To look for projects that allow me to do really unique work, it’s so much more satisfying and creative when you can do that, and it inspires me which makes the work so much more satisfying. I love it, and it’s not work, but something much more meaningful. Fulfilling, in some strange way, what I came here for.

Joanna Freschel 24

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who lives in Warsaw, Poland to perform the vocals. She joined Mikolai at his home studio in Warsaw, and she just absolutely nailed it. We were ecstatic with her performance. I think she really elevated our ideas to an extraordinary level. Just what we had hoped for. Seriously, I feel that way. Q: What was your most enjoyable part of the project?

GARRY: Well it was all so enjoyable. That sounds like a copout but really it was such an easy project to work on because it just flowed in nearly every respect. If I had to isolate one aspect, I might choose the final mix with engineer Steve Kempster. It was just wonderful hearing the entire score come together fully mixed and fully realized. WWW.AUDIOGANG.ORG

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MUSIC, MAYHEM, AND MONEY BY CHANCE THOMAS

I’ve never been dead. But I have been dead in the water. I‘ve never had to flip burgers for a living. But it does pay better than music streaming. And I keep asking, “Who wants free money?” But very few are lining up to fill their pockets. How are these things related? I’m glad you asked. Welcome to the summer issue of Audio Source Magazine. I’ve been asked to share some of my story with you for this month’s cover feature. I’ll tell you how my business was destroyed, and how I came out of it. I’ll take you into an uncomfortable look at music streaming revenues, and consider one way to fight back. I’ll show you where most composers are leaving money on the table, and how to scoop it up for yourselves. Yes, there’s lots to cover, all of which I hope will be enriching for your mind and your bank account too! So buckle up, and let’s dive in.

During Thanksgiving week of 2018, my livelihood was stripped away, stolen by fraud without warning and without hope of recompense. Out on the street, I had to start from scratch in the twilight of my career. It was a shocking, shivering experience.

Peter McConnell, Maclaine Diemer, Billy Martin, Tim Larkin, Richard Ludlow, and Mathew Carl Earl had all recorded scores with us. One of my own original scores was in the home stretch, recording a large orchestra and contrabass choir on our sound stage. Other members of G.A.N.G. had made visits to recon us – Jason Hayes, Rachel Robison, Or Kribos, Karina Pardus, Bryan Atkinson, Savina Ciaramella, and many more. Everyone wanted to see for themselves this creative playground springing up in the heart of the Rocky Mountains.

Before that week, things had been percolating at HUGEsound Post Production in Salt Lake City. G.A.N.G. members

It was everything it purported to be. 16,000 square feet of beautiful studio space with a large scoring stage, record-

DEAD IN THE WATER

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T HE AUDIO SOUR C E MAGAZINE ing rooms, mixing suites, film editing suites, a Foley stage, sound design rooms, creative clusters, and composing suites. Equipment was state-of-the-art, with an environment perfectly suiting a world class workshop of imagination. I started the original HUGEsound back in 1998 to provide music and sound services to clients in games, television, and movies. It had a good run, with a reputation and balance sheet that both grew over the years. By 2016, an ambitious entertainment conglomerate offered to buy the company from me, branding their new media venture HUGEsound Post Production. They hired me to run the music division, and we started building something truly magical.

Wait, police officers and attorneys want to see me? Right away? Man, if that doesn’t send a shiver down your spine! I found my way to the conference room, where a pair of young attorneys acknowledged me. One quickly escorted me to my studio office. He sat me down and shut the door. “We are acting under the authority of the United States District Court for the State of Utah, Central Division.” He paused. I was on pins and needles. Then he looked over his shoulder towards the door. “Those posters outside your office – DOTA 2, Avatar, King Kong – did you work on all those games?” I said yes, I had composed the music for them. He continued, “I’m a big fan. I love that stuff! I think it’s so cool that you did the music.”

Fast forward to November 22, 2018. It was just a normal day at the studio for all of us. Sound designers Michael McDonough and Joe Belliston were laying back audio for a new TV series. Film editors Mark Nelson and Michael Fox were cutting an indie film project. Studio execs Jenny L. A. and Jenn Sprague were hosting visitors from out of state. I was at a nearby facility working with a contracted mixing artist. Everyone was rocking.

OK, I’m all for people enjoying my craft. But this was odd timing for a fan boy moment. I managed to say, “Thank you,” but then asked, “And why did you want to see me?” I still had no idea why he was there, why our studio had been commandeered. Then he dropped the bomb.

Near the end of the day, I swung by the studio to drop off a drive. Jenn Sprague met me at the door with a troubled look on her face. “There are a bunch of attorneys and police here,” she whispered. “They want to see you in the conference room right away.”

The FBI had filed charges against the investment firm funding our parent company. The charges alleged a $200 million Ponzi scheme against them. The court had authorized a local law firm (acting as a receiver for the court) to take possession of all downstream businesses and assets, including our studio. The CEO of our parent company, also the principle at the investment

“THE CHARGES ALLEGED A $200 MILLION PONZI SCHEME”

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firm, was being taken into custody. I was stunned. Immediately I asked the attorney, “What does this mean for our employees, and for our clients and contractors?” We had projects in the pipeline, we’d made commitments to people. We’d hired musicians, singers, conductors, music prep, and mixing. He said we should continue with business as usual. Just keep things rolling. Consider the court like a new business owner. Business as usual, he said. But my Spidey sense was tingling. Accusations of a $200 million Ponzi scheme kept reverberating through my mind. I felt skeptical about “business as usual”. Maybe I should back up all my data and remove the drives offsite. Done. I also packed my personal office belongings and loaded them into the car. I wasn’t taking any chances. By Monday, the rest of the story played out. The studio was shuttered. All employees were terminated without pay or benefits. We were locked out of the building. All of us, our clients, and our contractors were told to file claims with the court. Bam! My equipment was gone, locked in the studio. My copyrights were 32

gone, tied up in court proceedings. Music distribution agreements, which I had painstakingly negotiated, were stuck in limbo. I didn’t know what to do next. That’s when anger began to boil up inside. I felt like someone had thrust a rip saw into my chest. How could those at the top have done this? Not just to me, and to our team and contractors, but also to apparently hundreds of duped investors? It occurred to me that I had a choice to make about my anger. If I remained angry and embittered, it would be like shoving the rip saw even deeper into my chest, pulling it back and forth, back and forth, continually tearing into the fabric of my soul. On the other hand, if I chose forgiveness, it would be like firmly gripping the saw, pulling it out of my chest, dropping it on the ground, and walking away. Only then could healing occur. Ultimately, that’s what I did. I chose to forgive. I won’t presume to speak for anyone else whose savings were plundered, or whose livelihood was ruined. But for me, and for the health and resonance of my own personal creative soul, I forgave those whose criminal actions destroyed our studio, putting me out on the street, having to start over in the twilight of my career. And you know what? That forgiveness has made all the difference.

If someone has done you wrong, hurt you, marginalized you, bullied you, whatever. I encourage you to take yourself out and away from any situation that continues to harm you. But once you are safely removed, consider forgiveness. It is a soul saver! While I’m soap-boxing, let me also issue a warning about dishonesty. Those who have my first book, Composing Music for Games: The Art, Technology and Business of Video Game Scoring, know that I cover a lot of “real life” issues in the book, issues that effect our existence as human beings and working professionals. One such section of the book talks about honesty, encouraging readers to become a virtue-oso. Like mastering an instrument, the more you practice honesty the better you get at it. Dishonesty has no place in any workplace. Don’t lie about yourself or others. Understand your milestones and hit them. Keep your word. Overdeliver. Speak well of clients, peers, and competitors. Don’t build a Ponzi scheme! Hold your integrity like a prized treasure. A good reputation is hard to earn and easy to lose. Build it meticulously and keep practicing throughout

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T HE AUDIO SOUR C E MAGAZINE your life. Everyone can master virtues of honesty and integrity with practice. Back to my story. I had forgiven the people who caused the downfall of our company. But now I needed to turn my attention to starting over. I began calling friends in the business, “Do you have any old gear you’ve retired that I can buy from you?” I managed to outfit a lean DAW system, and built a small studio in my basement. A far cry from HUGEsound, but at least I was back in business. Thankfully, I was able to get to work right away – a film score for an indie client, a video game contract with Ubisoft, some VR work for The VOID, and a few other small projects. It’s very fortunate that I was able to return quickly to work again. It left no time for moping or dining on ashes! There is so much more to tell you, so many particulars left to share. I’m currently in the process of writing up the rest of this sordid tale for my book publisher. I have a new book coming out later this year, and the full story of what happened to HUGEsound is getting the full treatment, in vivid color, with all the juicy details. Lots of other incredible stories will be included too. Think of it as a career guidebook wrapped around a personal retrospective; a composer’s how-to manual woven into a memoir. But that’s a topic for another day. For now, let’s turn to something completely different. Let’s talk about music streams and flipping burgers. MUSIC STREAMING vs FAST FOOD Some GANG members receive royalties

from music streams. I’m among them. I receive statements too, though I hadn’t looked at them carefully until a few weeks ago. What I discovered was frankly withering. For a single stream of my music, royalties ranged from a high of $0.01, to a low of $0.0001. Running all the numbers, it turns out the average royalty is only about $0.002 per play. That’s 2/100 of a penny to listen to one of my songs. That’s really pitiful. Let’s put that number into perspective. I would have to entertain 500 people with one of my songs in order to earn a single one dollar bill. $1.00. One. Single. Lousy. Dollar. I’m no business guru, but that’s not a viable financial model for composers. Let’s compare those numbers to working at a fast food restaurant. I recently stumbled onto a quirky article about McDonald’s. From what I gathered, the average employee is paid about $200.00 to make 100 hamburgers. If they made 500 hamburgers, they would earn about $1,000.00. Are you with me so far? We all know that music feeds the soul. So if I feed 500 souls with one song each, I earn a grand total of $1.00 from streaming. But if a McDonald’s employee feeds 500 souls with one burger each, that employee earns $1,000.00. Burgers = $1,000.00. Music = $1.00. Allow that hard truth to penetrate all the way down to your bones. Something is woefully distorted about this picture. Nothing against McDonald’s employees, I’ve been known to

eat a quarter pounder myself once in a while. But as a society, we have to do better than this. We need to value our creative music makers on par with the decades of dedication they’ve devoted to honing their muse and mastering their craft. There has to be some way to fix this. Which leads to my final topic of discussion.

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TAKE MY MONEY, PLEASE When the courts shut down HUGEsound Post Production and seized its assets, they also locked up rights to my Lord of the Rings music, some of my film music, etc. As an innocent victim, I couldn’t allow that to stand. So I worked with the court appointed receiver and third party rights holders over the next 27 months, finally succeeding in extracting those rights and freeing them from the court. I also extracted HUGEsound Records, including its logo, website assets, and distribution contracts. Why? Because I wanted to give Spotify a run for my money. I also wanted to provide a booster shot of revenue for other composers. In a nutshell, I wanted to create an outlet where we could entertain 500 people with a song, and make a decent wage. Like a phoenix rising from its ashes, the all new HUGEsound Records was reborn on March 1, 2021. The company launched a gorgeous new web store ( https:// HUGEsoundRecords.com ) featuring several freshlyliberated soundtracks pulled from the courts, including Lord of the Rings Online, and some indie film scores you’ve never heard of (though I hope you’ll stop by and listen). Each week we run a new promotion, and each promotion brings a spike in visits, preview streams, downloads, and sales. I’m happy to report that sales revenues from the first few weeks at HUGEsound Records have FAR surpassed 34

“I WANTED TO PROVIDE A BOOSTER SHOT OF REVENUE FOR OTHER COMPOSERS ” months and months of streaming royalties from all services – Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon, Google Play, Deezer, you name it. Seemingly, we’ve found a solution to the streaming problem. And yes, it’s more profitable than flipping burgers. Since we’re set up like a boutique art gallery for soundtracks, each month we’ll feature a new guest artist in our spotlight section, showcasing three of their soundtracks, promoting their work, and offering their tracks for sale. In April, our guest artist was the insanely talented composer Austin Wintory. We featured his incredible music from The Pathless, Abzu, and The Banner Saga. The great thing about this for Austin, and for every other composer whose work we feature, is that while HUGEsound Records is promoting the composer and their music in our gallery, their soundtracks are also still available on Bandcamp, Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon, and wherever else they have them. Anything earned from HUGEsound Records is pure gravy. This is absolutely a win-win-win situation.

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Like a pheonix rising from its ashes, the all new HUGEsound Records was reborn on March 1st, 2021. And yes, it’s more profitable than flipping burgers. – CHANCE THOMAS In May, we showcased Penka Kouneva’s exquisite scores from Pandora, Encounter, and The Woman Astronaut. We hosted two zoom seminars to talk about her career, lessons learned, and advice for upcoming composers. Near the end of the month we released a brand new, exclusive EP of fresh tracks called Ravenous Monsters. It was great to expose Penka’s music to new audiences and drive sales of her soundtrack albums. Honestly, it’s a joy to celebrate people whose work I’ve long admired, and to send a booster shot of revenue their way too! In those two months we had over 11,000 page views, 2,500 music previews, and sales of nearly $5,000.00. Not Taylor Swift numbers, but SOOOO much better than typical composer streaming revenues. In June, I have a new soundtrack of my own coming out. It’s the OST from ROGUEBOOK, the highly anticipated deckbuilder from Magic: The Gathering™ creator Richard Garfield. The score is innocent and mischievous, but with a dark twist. It’s epic fantasy music in a playfully malevolent style with an orchestral backbone, electronic elements, and lots of solo overdubs. This will be our June spotlight. Please do stop by and give the trailer a listen: https://hugesoundrecords.com/roguebook

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WE GET KNOCKED DOWN, WE GET BACK UP

- THAT’S JUST WHAT PEOPLE DO WHEN CONFRONTED WITH CRISIS WHAT WE NEED IS SOME EDUCATION. COMPOSERS NEVER GET WHAT THEY DESERVE. BUT THEY WILL GET WHAT THEY NEGOTIATE. AND NEGOTIATION INVOLVES EDUCATION, STRATEGIC POSITION, FRAMING MUTUAL BENEFITS, AND ASKING WITHOUT RESERVATION.

Each artist spotlight lasts for one month only. At the end of the month, their music is removed from the gallery, and the next guest artist goes up. That keeps things moving, fresh, and limited. Our business model is built on highly focused, limited engagement, eventdriven marketing. Event-driven is a key concept because we promote the artist and their music with weekly events and features. As I tell the composers, we make no guarantees regarding the relative success of their guest spotlight. We just present the artist and their music, create events, fan the flames, and hope for a good wind! But here’s the thing. Whatever revenue we generate is a bonus for them, a fresh stream of previously untapped income for the artist. Sounds fantastic, right? Take my money, please! But here’s the funny thing. I’m finding very few composers who have negotiated any ancillary income rights or secondary market distribution rights in their composing contracts. Most composers are simply giving away every sliver of their copyright protections to publishers or developers. If you are a composer like that, you can put the brakes on. You 36

don’t have to give everything away. You can retain some, most, or even all of these rights. What we need is some education. Composers never get what they deserve. But they will get what they negotiate. And negotiation involves education, strategic positioning, framing mutual benefits, and asking without reservation. Beginning on page 258 of my book Composing Music for Games, you’ll find ten pages of tips for negotiating composer contracts. Compensation, copyrights, licensing, package deals, indemnification, publicity, PRO’s, you name it. And that’s just the beginning. Please take time to thoroughly read and understand your contracts. Be aware of the layers of rights conveyed by copyrights, and request revisions that make sense for you without hurting your client in any way. These are important steps that should never be skipped just because you’re anxious to get a deal done. Over the years, as I became more educated about business and more conversant in contract negotiation,

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my contracts began to tilt more in my favor. In some composing agreements, I now retain the right to distribute the contracted music as a soundtrack album. In some, I also retain the right to receive the writer’s share of performing rights royalty income. In others, I retain the actual copyrights in the compositions and sound recordings, licensing the music back to the publisher for exclusive use within the video game industry. All of these adjustments empower composers to put additional money in their pockets without taking anything essential away from the game companies. We live in an exciting day filled with opportunity. There has never been a time in history when so much music was needed to fill the world’s ravenous appetite for entertainment content. Possibilities abound for those with the creativity, integrity, and work ethic to make it happen.

Bad things can happen along your path too. You may get knocked down and out. You may lose things that are of great value to you. People you care about may get hurt. And none of it is fair. But the human spirit is so resilient! We get knocked down, we get back up. That’s just what people do when confronted with crisis. You find your next target. You find your next goal. You just have to get up and start moving forward again.

And remember to negotiate ancillary income rights, and secondary market distribution rights in your composing contracts too! So that one day, when people visit the soundtrack gallery at https://HUGEsoundRecords.com, it’s your face they see, it’s your music they buy. I look forward to that.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Chance Thomas is an American composer, best known for scoring blockbuster video games like DOTA 2, James Cameron’s Avatar and Lord of the Rings Online. Other highlights include scoring the Academy Award-winning short, The ChubbChubbs!, and receiving a 2015 Emmy nomination for Lost Treasure Hunt. His music can also be heard on hit TV shows like Pawn Stars, The Daily Show and America’s Most Wanted.

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GOLD SPONSOR:

GAME SOUND CON

SAVE THE DATE: GAMESOUNDCON

NOVEMBER 8-10, ONLINE

GameSoundCon returns ONLINE on November 8-10, 2021 for three days of game music, sound design, dialogue and more.

GameSoundCon will inspire anyone working in or interested in game audio, whether you have decades of AAA experience, or are just getting started.

GameSoundCon is the industry’s largest professional conference on sound for video games, bringing the game audio community and all its disciplines together since 2009. With three packed days and 50-plus sessions fully dedicated to game music, sound, dialogue, education, research and more,

Attendees include composers, sound designers, dialogue specialists, audio educators, programmers and researchers in interactive audio and game technology, and anyone else with an interest and passion for game audio.

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NEW BRONZE SPONSOR:

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MULTIFACETED ORGANIZATION PUSHING BOUNDARIES

- THROUGH EDUCATION AND CREATION

Strawberry Hill Music is a full-service audio post production studio providing music, audio design, and voice over for major video games, anime, film, and television. Our team consists of professional music composers, audio editors, designers, producers, and event organizers that deeply understand the needs, desires, and vision of fellow established creators within these industries. Making music and audio media that celebrates every bit of nerd culture has been our specialty since day one. Clients includes industry giants such as Tencent, EA, Sony, Sega, and Bandai. Strawberry Hill Studio online is our educational platform designed to connect students of all caliber with active-working anime and game audio experts, artists, and educators from Japan and the United States in a fun and productive online classroom experience. Visit our online studio at https:www.strawberryhillstudio.online.

“SAMURAIS OF SOUND”

We host a selection of live educational workshops, events, and master-level production courses, each designed and taught by industry professionals themselves collectively called “Samurais of Sound” Our educators are known for their work on well known titles like Mortal Kombat, Cowboy Bebop, Ghost in The Shell, World of Warcraft, Resident Evil, Final Fantasy and many more Our classes focus on voice acting, composition, sound design, production and mentoring and management designed for students who would like to gain an insight into the workings of the industry from a professionals perspective. We are pleased to offer a 20% discount to G.A.N.G. members for our upcoming music workshops using the code GANG20 when registering. Members can sign up for via our website https:www.strawberryhillstudio. online/workshops.

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NEW TEAM MEMBER Working with the Game Audio Network Guild has been an absolutely rewarding oppourtunity to grow and work with such kind, caring, and supportive people. I’m a composer, session vocalist, and sound designer, currently working on finishing up my Masters of Music in Technology and Applied Composition from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. I actually did my undergrad double majoring in Music and Communication with an emphasis on film production. This film background has been incredibly influential in my approach to sound and my work. I’ve been really lucky to work on a wide variety of projects from museum installations to mobile games and albums - all which have shaped the way I think about and create sound. Working with such an incredible team of people has pushed me to be better and do better in both my professional and personal life. The networking, education, and experiences that the Game Audio Network Guild provides are truly next level, and I feel honored to be a part of the team.

!"#$%&'()*+"!

ASSISTANT COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER

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TEAM UPDATES GABRIELLA CIARAMELLA COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER “My first year at G.A.N.G. has been one for the books. I’ve learned a lot more about game audio through our webinars and contributors of the Audio Source Magazine. I’m grateful for all of the new relationships I’ve made with many of the members and staff. I’m excited to start this new endeavor as Communications Manager, and I’m pleased to have Nicole Yazmin by my side as the Assistant Communications Manager. We have a lot of cool things in store, so stay tuned!” - Gabriella

LUCAS FEHRING

ASSOCIATE PRODUCER “I’ve greatly enjoyed my first year here at G.A.N.G! It has been a wonderful experience getting to know the staff and the membership as I’ve been setting up webinars and assisting with the G.A.N.G. Awards. I’ve enjoyed playing games since I was a kid and have always been drawn to the sounds and music of games. I’m so excited to be a part of this community and I look forward to setting up more events as the year goes on!” - Lucas

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2021 G.A.N.G. AWARDS REPRESENT THE BIGGEST CHANGE TO OUR SHOW SINCE ITS INCEPTION, ALLOWING US TO BETTER RECOGNIZE THE DEEPLY SPECIALIZED SKILLS, TALENT, AND KNOWLEDGE OF THOSE WHO CREATE MUSIC, SOUND, DIALOGUE AND TECHNOLOGY FOR GAMES – BRIAN SCHMIDT The 19th Annual Game Audio Network Guild Awards took place on April 28th livestreamed on Twitch. This was the second year in a row in which the event took place virtually. The show was produced by Alexander Ferrante, Cody Matthew Johnson, Rachel Robison, Brian Schmidt, Savina Ciaramella, Sabrina Hutchinson, Nicole Yazmin and Lucas Fehring. Cody Matthew Johnson of Emperia Sound once again took up a hosting position. This time, he was joined by Rachel Robison, a Utah-based composer and the Game Audio Network Guild’s Scholars Alumni Committee CoChair. Throughout the night, Johnson and Robison interacted with the live audience, guest speakers and winners during the pre-show, award show, and post-show, cultivating rich moments of interaction, community, and joy.

This year marked exciting new steps in the Game Audio Network Guild’s push toward greater inclusion and diversity with the annoucement of several new committees including the Audio Accessibility Committee, Dialogue Committee, and International Diversity Committe. Three speciality awards were given out. Guy Whitmore, a 27-year game industry veteran and multi-awardwinning composer and sound designer whose credits

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T HE AUDIO SOUR C E MAGAZINE Co-host Cody Matthew Johnson was the recipient of the Distingushed Service Award. His investment and commitment to buidling meaningful connections and a culture of care within the game audio community is commendable, and we wish him well in his future endeavors! The night saw several performances, including a rousing performance by Úyanga Bold alongside gameplay from The Pathless. 88bit also performed a stunning piano medley of the year’s Music of the Year nominees, including works from Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Ori and the Will of the Wisps, Metamorphosis, Hades, Star Wars: Squadrons, and Final Fantasy VII Remake. Darren Korb and Ashley Barrett also performed “In the Blood” from Hades in a heartful and beautiful performance. The entertainment was sponsored by the Society of Composers and Lyricists. With over 46 different games nominated, in addition to several multimedia presentations and publications spread across 30 categories, the show saw a wide range of winners throughout the night.

include Ori and the Will of the Wisps (audio implementation and sound design), Overwatch and Ironman VR, received this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award. In a moving speech, he spoke of his career with a lively passion, inspiring those wanting to enter and those within the industry to focus on ‘being’ and ‘becoming.’ Wilbert Roget, II was the recipient of the Recognition Award. As a composer, educator, and advocate, Roget is incredibly active in the community at large and is a pillar of inspiration.

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The Last of Us Part II (Naughty Dog) took home the most awards of the night with eight wins including audio of the year. Ghost of Tsushima (Sucker Punch Productions) followed close behind with five wins. Hades (Supergiant Games) took home three wins, making it the indie game to take home the most awards.

Composer Gordy Haab who previously won the music of the year award for his work on Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, received the titular prize for the second year in a row for composing the score for Star Wars: Squadrons. Austin Wintory took home best music for an indie game with his music for The Pathless. This marks his 15th Game Audio Network Guild Award win since 2008. Three games were awarded for excellence in VR audio. The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners, Half-Life: Alyx, and The Last Light were recognized for their innovative and exemplary use of audio within virtual reality. 46

One of the highlights of the awards show was the Excellence in Audio Accessibility award presentation. Introduced by SightlessKombat, an accessibility consultant and gamer without sight, the emphasis was on future change and progress toward considering “audio as an integral part as a game’s design and accessibility going forward.” The Last of Us Part II took home the award with Robert Krekel stating “accessibility is something we took extremely seriously on The Last of Us Part II,” thanking the accessibility consultants and Justin Mullens, the sound designer responsible for many of the accessibility systems. At the awards, the winner of the Pyramind & Game Audio Network Guild Scholarship 2021, Tyler Campbell, was also annouced. Campbell received a full-tuition scholarship for Pyramind’s Sounds for Picture and Games program located in San Francisco. Congratulations Tyler! Another highlight of the evening was the post-show where Johnson and Robison had lively conversations with the

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winners from the evening. This post-show shed much light on the amount of effort, teamwork, and talent that goes on behind the scenes. Brian Tyler, Gordy Haab, John Robert Matz, Robert Krekel, Anastasia Devana, Dave Shumway, Jeff Penny, Joshua Mosley, Darren Korb, Ashley Barrett, Austin Wintory, Savina Ciaramella, and Wilbert Roget, II, all stopped by to celebrate and interact with both the audience and the hosts. A massive thank you to all of our sponsers, nominees, committee chairs and members, the production team, our members and audience. We are looking forward to next year!

ABOUT THE AWARDS “Since the first show in 2002, the industry has grown, changed, and evolved in ways no one could have imagined” - Brian Schmidt, Game Audio Network Guild president The Game Audio Network Guild Awards identify the highest quality and achievement of those individuals, projects and products offering a significant and positive impact on the art and craft of producing interactive audio, its community and the interactive industry as a whole. Judging criteria includes production value, quality, innovation and community service.

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TOP WINNERS OF THE NIGHT THE LAST OF US PART II AUDIO OF THE YEAR SOUND DESIGN OF THE YEAR DIALOGUE OF THE YEAR BEST ENSEMBLE CAST PERFORMANCE EXCELLENCE IN AUDIO ACCESSIBILITY BEST AUDIO MIX CREATIVE AND TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND DESIGN

GHOST OF TSUSHIMA SOUND DESIGN OF THE YEAR CREATIVE AND TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT IN MUSIC BEST VOICE PERFORMANCE (KAZUYA NAKAI) BEST NEW ORIGINAL IP AUDIO BEST GAME FOLEY

HADES BEST AUDIO FOR AN INDIE GAME BEST SOUND DESIGN FOR AN INDIE GAME BEST DIALOGUE FOR AN INDIE GAME

ANIMAL CROSSING: NEW HORIZONS BEST MAIN THEME BEST UI, REWARD OR OBJECTIVE SOUND DESIGN

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VIEW ALL WINNERS ONLINE AUDIOGANG.ORG

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MANY THANKS TO DIAMOND

PLATINUM

GOLD

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OUR GENEROUS SPONSORS SILVER

BRONZE

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AUDIO OF

HALL OF

The Last of Us Part II — Naughty Dog

2021

Death Stranding — Kojima Productions

2020

God of War — SIE Santa Monica Studio

2019

Cuphead — StudioMDHR

2018

Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End — Naughty Dog

2017

Ori and the Blind Forest — Moon Studios

2016

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare — Sledgehammer Games

2015

The Last of Us — Naughty Dog

2014

Diablo III — Blizzard Entertainment

2013

Battlefield 3 — DICE

2012

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THE YEAR

F FAME 2011

Red Dead Redemption — Rockstar Games

2010

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves — Naughty Dog

2009

Dead Space — EA Redwood Shoes

2008

Bioshock — 2K Games, 2K Boston

2007

Gears of War — Epic Games, The Coalition

2006

God of War — SIE Santa Monica Studio

2005

Halo 2 — Bungie

2004

Call of Duty — Infinity Ward

2003

Hitman 2: Silent Assassin — IO Interactive