The Music Of PlayStation: Bear McCreary And Chuck Doud On Bringing Games Like God Of War To Life

This article is sponsored by PlayStation | The Concert.

For more than 30 years, PlayStation has brought the gaming industry countless iconic soundtracks. From their earliest works, like Tekken and Twisted Metal, to upcoming titans like Ghost of Yotei, players throughout the world have connected with so many high-quality songs which have contributed in no small part to the medium’s meteoric rise in cultural relevance.

PlayStation | The Concert has already enraptured audiences throughout Europe and launches a whirlwind tour across the United States this October with more than 70 cities slated to host the production. Kicking things off in New York City on October 11, The Concert will then play at venues far and wide, from Seattle’s Paramount Theatre and the San Diego Civic Theatre to Austin’s Bass Concert Hall and Kravis Center in West Palm Beach.

Legendary Themes

This exploration of the brand’s rich musical history centers on the epic scores of a quartet of modern PlayStation classics: The Last of Us, Horizon Zero Dawn, Ghost of Tsushima, and God of War (2018). Songs are also included from Bloodborne, Journey, Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection, Helldivers 2, and Astro Bot; nor have the epic sequels to two of The Concert’s big events been left behind, with ample representation from both The Last of Us, Part II and God of War Ragnarok.

It’s that last one which forged the centerpiece of our insightful interview with Chuck Doud, the Senior Director of Music at Sony Interactive Entertainment, and Bear McCreary, the famed composer behind every artful note in both of Santa Monica Studio’s quasi-rebooted forays into Kratos’ saga of revenge, repentance, forgiveness, and the relatable rigors of fatherhood.

As the size and scope of PlayStation’s games has grown exponentially, the processes behind soundtrack creation have had to grow alongside them. Doud’s substantial tenure allows him key insights into not only the broader history of PlayStation’s rich aural tapestry, but the many ways in which its approach to music creation has shifted.

“I think the role of music has evolved with video games. So, my role at Sony has definitively evolved,” Doud explains. “Over the course of [the] last twenty years, we’ve grown from just being a small team to now being a global group. The company is making more games that need more music than ever before.” In Doud’s view, there’s been a heightened perception of the importance of music within video games. Anyone who has watched a troupe of virtuoso/highly skilled soloists work their magic in recent installments of The Game Awards (or, indeed, in the upcoming PlayStation | The Concert) can hear that emotional crossroads between millions of players and the music in their favorite games.

We asked McCreary how he took to the colossal task of scoring God of War, and his answer speaks to the heart of what makes many of PlayStation’s modern titles so memorable: their story-first prerogative, and the ways in which every other aspect - including the soundtracks - are created in service to that narrative drive. “My mentor was a film composer named Elmer Bernstein, one of the great [composers] of the last century. And he kept saying that the only thing the composer needs to know is, ‘What do you want the audience to feel?’” For McCreary, the answer came straight from the God of War series’ writer/director, Cory Barlog.

“Cory Barlog created the story that answers that question at every step of the way.” McCreary, like so many fans, views Kratos’ and Atreus’ relationship as the beating heart of Santa Monica Studio’s entries in the God of War franchise. “Are they getting along? Is Atreus feeling very naive? Is Atreus starting to turn? Is Kratos feeling like he doesn’t have control over his son?” Every song in God of War’s riveting soundtrack was composed with these questions in mind.

It’s no secret that AAA video games take longer to make in the era of 4K graphics than they ever did on earlier consoles. As Bear McCreary’s thoughts exemplify, one of the key ways that PlayStation has adapted to these lengthy development cycles has been through looping in the music-making process very early into each of their gargantuan projects. “There’s this opportunity for deeper integration,” Doud explains, “a deeper back-and-forth between the people creating the scores and the people creating the game.”

We, as players, experience that integration in God of War’s every musical moment, and it also stems from a shared sense of ambition, a passion to ensure that everyone’s best work can be not just be seen, but heard. “I feel like we sort of mutually enjoy challenging each other,” Doud believes, before summing up the stellar results in just one sentence: “When I look at Kratos, I hear God of War.”

PlayStation’s decades-long history of famous characters across highly popular franchises can lend a sense of relevance, even urgency, to the musical side of modern games development. McCreary made it a goal to focus on his work rather than dwell on that urgency, but the importance of this particular project was hardly lost on him while he wrote the notes for God of War (2018). After all, Kratos had been off the public radar for some time when Santa Monica Studio made a daring effort to bring him back in a bold new way. “This guy isn’t just some guy. [He’s] one of the most important characters in PlayStation history. And it’s almost his make-or-break moment.”

Suffice it to say, the experiment was a success, with God of War: Ragnarok following on from Kratos’ initial return. Many of PlayStation’s biggest hits have spawned equally compelling sequels; Horizon Zero Dawn now has Horizon Forbidden West, Ghost of Tsushima will soon have Ghost of Yotei, and The Last of Us hasn’t just carried forward with a video game sequel, but an ongoing HBO television series. The convergence between story and music, brilliantly helmed by the games’ composers with comprehensive oversight from Sony themselves, has played a vital role in the blossoming of these individual games into sprawling franchises.

“A grieving father and his estranged son. And they’re carrying the mother’s ashes to the highest peaks in all the realms. Their relationship is going through trials and tribulations.” McCreary, in thinking about God of War’s most breathtakingly emotional cutscenes, felt confident while penning its score because so much of what he’d seen had resonated with him from the jump.

“Sony gives our game creators, our studios, their autonomy to do their best,” Doud reflects. “And for us, that’s when we do our best.” Their best will soon be celebrated when PlayStation | The Concert brings it all to life later this year. Tickets are on sale now.