OlliOlli World will be getting an exclusive showcase in tomorrow’s Golden Joystick Awards, as snippets of the game’s distinctly vibey soundtrack will be played throughout the show.
We’re delighted to be able to give Golden Joystick Awards viewers a chance to hear the swazzy (more on that later) songs that make up the soundtrack and, we got a chance to ask Roll7 co-founder Simon Bennett about what it means to the team to be able to showcase OlliOlli World's soundtrack during the show. He tells us: "Well, it’s obviously a huge honour – I think we’re all really excited to have a chance to share another slice of our vision for this game with the rest of the world!"
"Music has always been such a fundamental part of the OlliOlli experience, and I’m super hyped to be able to show this soundtrack off. It’s the same buzz you get from putting together an expertly crafted playlist to share with your friends on a long car journey – only with a lot more friends and a lot less traffic jams."
Music has always played a huge part in Roll7 games - we’ve still got a soft spot for the synthy delights of Laser League - and the songs that will be debuting tomorrow help set a tone for what’s to come in OlliOlli World. In that regard, Bennett says: "When you listen to these tracks, you’re very much getting a sense of the kind of vibe that the gameplay is going to give you. We're always on the lookout for tracks that have what we call, 'SWAZ' - it’s a certain bounce and feel that just works for the OlliOlli series, we know it when we hear it!"
But how does the team actually discover it? Well, Bennett goes on to explain: "Much of our soundtrack is quite underground, found through scouring the airwaves and playlists of DJs like Gilles Peterson or Lefto, and radio stations like Rinse or Reprezent in London. There’s a lot of very mellow, laid-back beats – tracks that are addictive and catchy while still retaining that ultimate sense of chill. It’s a soundtrack that you can slam fifty times in a row listening to and still not get stressed out, which is definitely going to be needed if you’re aiming for the highest of high scores!"
It’s also been an important time for Roll7, which was recently acquired by publisher Private Division as they near the finish line for development on OlliOlli World. While the news is undoubtedly good for the studio, we wanted to ask Simon what it means for the studio’s soundtracks moving forward and how it could affect the way it licenses songs for future games.
He tells us: "It’s definitely something we’ll be discussing in more detail over the coming months and years, but obviously as OlliOlli World is being published by Private Division, they do already have a lot of insight into how we select and license our tracks. I can’t say much more in terms of which songs might feature in upcoming titles, or exactly how those licenses would work – but what I can say is that joining forces with Private Division is going to give us access to a lot of resources and support in finding even more awesome tracks for our upcoming titles."
With OlliOlli World set to shred its way to PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X, Xbox One, PC, and Nintendo Switch this winter, it won’t be long until you hear tomorrow’s tunes soundtracking tricks rather than Golden Joystick Award winners.
Here’s how to watch the Golden Joystick Awards 2021.
