Look, if you're name is Ubisoft and you've got to somehow top the incredible Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag sea chanty soundtrack (good luck!), then you'd better bring in one of the hottest names in game soundtrack composition today.
Get Austin Wintory, is what I'm saying. Which is what Ubisoft did. Wintory is, officially, the composer behind the upcoming Assassin's Creed: Syndicate.
The man is masterful. He's written some of the nicest stuff you've ever heard in video games. He composed soundtracks for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Monaco: What's Yours Is Mine, and The Order: 1886. My favorite soundtrack from him is The Banner Saga. Such great stuff. Even Thatgamecompany tapped Wintory not once, but twice, for soundtrack duties: once for flOw, then again for Journey.
Wintory's work is much more emotionally attached to the game than the average soundtrack. There's an empathy between his compositions and the onscreen action—or inaction—that you just don't get from every other musician out there. He can raise or lower your blood pressure on a whim, from his music. Here's a sample, below.
Assassin's Creed: Syndicate is coming October 23 to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, and PC on November 19.
UBISOFT® ANNOUNCES AUSTIN WINTORY AS COMPOSER FOR ASSASSIN’S CREED® SYNDICATE
SAN FRANCISCO – September 10, 2015 – Today, Ubisoft announced that Grammy-nominated composer Austin Wintory (Journey, The Banner Saga) has composed the score for the highly anticipated video game, Assassin’s Creed Syndicate. The game and its soundtrack album will be available when the game launches on Friday, October 23rd.
Known for his unique and often unusual musical approach, Wintory sought not just to capture the drama and excitement of the Assassin’s Creed franchise, but to evoke the prowess and sarcasm of the game’s main characters, Jacob and Evie Frye. Calling upon the imagery of The Assassins' deadly combat as a dance between the huntress and her prey, the waltzing music reflects this playful yet violent energy. It features a chamber ensemble of elite players performing with raw, visceral intensity, accompanied by incidental winds and trumpets and showcasing dazzling virtuosic solo performances by acclaimed instrumentalists Sandy Cameron and Tina Guo. Wintory was inspired by the more intimate music of the mid-19th Century, the period of time in which the game takes place, and intentionally chose not to reference the massive orchestral music of the era. Wintory explains:
“I've had a long-held passion for the chamber music of the 19th Century; the intensity one can get from this sort of music is quite distinct from the massive force of an orchestra. You're right in the face of a handful of brilliant players, each exploding with energy. Yet, because of its intimacy it can also sneak up on you in ways a lumbering orchestra can't. It's a dramatically tactile experience which seemed practically tailor-made for a tale of Victoria Era sibling Assassins.”
Wintory’s score is more than 3 hours long and is highly dynamic to the player’s emotional experience, capturing an array of moods and settings. The game’s score also highlights authentic folk music and hymns of the period, which are heard throughout performed by in-game characters, and bleed into the score in both subtle and overt ways.
Set in London during the height of the Industrial Revolution, players will step into the shoes of twin Master Assassins, Jacob and Evie Frye. Fighting to liberate London, Jacob and Evie help define the birth of organized crime in an adventure filled with action, intrigue and brutal combat. The development of Assassin’s Creed Syndicate is being led by Ubisoft Quebec.
Assassin’s Creed Syndicate will be available worldwide for PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system and Xbox One onOctober 23, and will be available for Windows PC on November 19.
For the latest on all Ubisoft games, including an exclusive interview with Austin Wintory, please visit blog.ubi.com.
