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Helldivers 2's composer reveals he had almost quit writing orchestral game music entirely before the glowing reception to his new sci-fi score.
Helldivers 2' director Johan Pilestedt kickstarted the conversation on social media. "How the Helldivers 2 OST hasn't won or even been nominated for best score is beyond me," he tweeted. "I listen to it daily and it still goes so hard!" In a follow-up response, Pilestedt says that he's usually sick of hearing a game's music by the time it's out, "but this one I still listen to."
The shooter's composer Will Roget then responded to the director's gushing praise with a little tidbit. "Funny story: before Helldivers 2 came out I considered moving on from writing orchestral game music," he tweeted, "it seemed like players were getting tired of it, it's absurdly difficult, time-consuming, and expensive to produce, and I wanted to try new things."
Roget thankfully managed to get behind the decks to produce the game's epic, sometimes thunderingly heroic score, because he was soon shocked "at how enthusiastically players responded to [it]... from music-reaction vids to covers (even a full metal album?!)" Roget says he's "never been more encouraged by listeners" and "for a traditionally orchestral score, what I thought was impossible came true."
"I'm profoundly grateful for the players, musicians and devs for restoring my hope and passion for orchestral scoring," he continued. "Award shows rightly have unique tastes, but knowing we’ve reached so many people is the greatest reward possible!"
Speaking of awards, Helldivers 2 developers recently lamented the “dire state” of the games industry and called for workers to “help each other” while accepting a few gold statues.
