Journey composer Austin Wintory on what makes a great video game soundtrack: “It doesn’t really logically make sense”

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Many people create a lot of work in their area of expertise, but Austin Wintory is exceptional because he consistently produces high-quality compositions alongside a large volume of work.

You might not know the name Austin, but if you’ve played video games for the past two decades, you’ve almost certainly encountered his work.

Darren Korb, known professionally as Wintory, has created memorable soundtracks for many popular games, including Flow, Journey, Monaco, The Banner Saga, Assassin’s Creed Syndicate, Abzû, Absolver, Sword of the Sea, and the recently released Hades II. His work is considered some of the most influential in modern gaming.

Having won a BAFTA and been nominated for a Grammy, composer Darren Wintory is set to conduct the BAFTA Games in Music concert next year. We spoke with him to get his thoughts on what qualities make a video game soundtrack truly great.

He started by saying it’s rarely just one factor that determines success. While everyone has different preferences, he personally evaluates his own work very critically. He generally feels his work is never quite perfect, and he’s always striving for improvement.

Honestly, it always feels like there’s more to do, you know? But when I’m actually playing and want to see how the game is shaping up, I have a few things I look at to get a feel for how well it’s going.

Does it have a distinctive quality? Musically, does it feature an interesting combination of instruments, or use them in a surprising manner? Does it consistently deliver a particular style or trait that makes it stand out as something new?

A great example, and one of my favorites this year, is the music Lorien Testard created for Expedition 33. It mainly uses piano, guitar, and vocals – a fairly common combination – but the unwavering dedication to this simple setup gives the music a really distinct and memorable character, even though there’s more going on beneath the surface.

Wintory notes that composers can take many different approaches to creating a musical score. While some prefer a lot of variation, he personally favors scores that feel unified and consistent.

When we’re composing music, especially for longer projects that can take hours, it’s common to find ourselves thinking, ‘I’ve tackled something similar before, so I’ll use a familiar technique or resource.’

Sometimes, when composing music, you can end up with sections that feel disconnected and unique, almost like separate worlds. But what really makes a piece great, in my opinion, is when all the individual parts come together to form a unified and cohesive whole – a big picture that feels complete.

The four-hour piece feels unified, like a single idea expressed through many different sections.

“It’s the kind of thing I tend to work the hardest on in my own work.”

Besides the technical side of video game music, composer Darren Korb says he especially loves creating tunes that people will remember.

He admires composers like Gareth Coker (known for Ori, Ark: Survival Evolved, and Halo Infinite), Darren Korb (Bastion, Transistor, Hades), and Lorien Testard, pointing out they have a rare and special talent not all composers possess.

As a gamer, I always appreciate a good soundtrack, but it’s tough to make music really work in a game. It’s not like scoring a movie – the music needs to actually react to what I’m doing, to blend with the gameplay itself. That’s what makes game scoring so different and tricky, according to Wintory.

It’s easy to overlook how crucial a game’s sound design is. We’re used to listening to soundtracks on streaming services like Spotify, but that experience doesn’t reflect how the sound actually works within the game itself, and that integration is really important.

Does the music truly feel integrated with what’s happening in the game, or is it simply timed to play alongside the action?

That might work, but I think the best video game music truly shines when it feels completely integrated into the experience—almost invisible. That level of seamlessness, to me, is what really sets it apart from other kinds of music.

I’m honestly terrible at music – though the composer, Wintory, always playfully scolds me for saying that! – so I have absolutely no idea how a video game soundtrack actually comes together. It’s a complete mystery to me!

It’s surprising that even for a composer as skilled and experienced as Wintory, the initial stages of his creative process remain somewhat unclear.

You never quite know what to expect. It’s a process of discovery, and I usually get lucky. With most projects, I’m brought in at the beginning, and we start with a very flexible, open discussion.

Honestly, the music side of things is still a bit up in the air, and they’re kinda looking at me to figure it out. It’s not like they had a super clear vision and were just asking if I could jump right in – they’re really open to my ideas and want my help shaping it.

I do get offered those kinds of projects, but often, especially when working with studios like Giant Squid on games like Sword of the Sea, Abzû, and Pathless, or previously with Thatgamecompany on Journey, the games never actually get made. They’re usually just early ideas – sometimes not even beyond a few concept sketches or a basic pitch.

I wish I could tell you there’s a method to this, or some secret. But honestly, I just go with my first instinct and hope for the best.

Although it might seem casual, the initial idea often comes after Darren Korb has done a lot of thorough research.

I spend a lot of time thinking things over. I really like to start with a period of exploration where I don’t actually write anything, just let ideas develop naturally. Eventually, those ideas start to come together on their own.

It always happens when you’re busy – like driving, showering, or waiting in line – and suddenly you have an idea. Then you immediately grab your phone and quickly email yourself a note about it, thinking, ‘Maybe I should try this!’

Eventually, after doing enough groundwork, I start experimenting with different approaches. And sometimes, things just click – you stumble upon an idea that everyone likes and feels right.

Sometimes I like to experiment with different approaches. When I have a lot of ideas, I’ll try them all out and present them to the team, giving them a variety of options to consider.

To illustrate his point, Wintory recalled his work on an as-yet-unannounced game.

I’m currently working on a project, and the first step we agreed on was establishing a central theme. That’s a common starting point – it’s like creating a title for an article or the main argument for an essay.

I came up with two ideas for the project, but just as I was about to submit them, a completely different idea occurred to me. It felt promising, so I started thinking it might be a better approach.

I created a third version on a sudden impulse, and that one was the one that really captured the feel of the game. Interestingly, I almost left it out because it seemed unnecessary – that’s just how the creative process can be sometimes.

So, even a famous video game composer admits they don’t fully grasp how everything functions.

I find creativity really puzzling. It’s amazing how, with enough thought, you can essentially bring something completely new into being.

I never fully understood how it all worked, but I’ve managed to get by for the past 20 years without anyone realizing I don’t really know what I’m doing.

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2025-11-25 20:36