The Sound of Music

The Sound of Music

Here at Konvoy, we have the fundamental belief that the technology, tools and infrastructure in gaming will continue to shape the way future games are played, distributed, and created. In the last decade, new technologies have driven the feasibility of cloud gaming, the prominence of the Battle Royale genre, and the rise of new mediums of entertainment (transmedia). Looking ahead, emerging technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) and augmented reality (AR) are poised to profoundly shape the future of gaming, unlocking new levels of immersion, interactivity, and innovation.

One aspect of game development that has remained largely unchanged over the last two decades is sound, in particular, music. This week, we will be taking a closer look at how music influences video games and how technological advancements have influenced how music is developed, stored, and played. Lastly, we will explore what is next and predict how music in games will change in the future.‍

Changes in Music Tech Over the Years

The evolution of music in video games has largely been driven by innovation in hardware technology:

Early Era of Gaming (1970s-1980s): In the 1970s and 1980s, video game music storage and playback were primarily limited by gaming device hardware (not the game cartridges that stored the games). The electronic circuits and chipsets only had a limited range of available sounds and the capability to play simultaneous tones, which, combined with limited storage, forced composers to create simple but memorable, repetitive melodies (think the chiptune music associated with popular 8-bit games such as Super Mario Bros).

CD Revolution (1990s): The introduction of CD-based consoles in the 1990s increased storage capabilities, which allowed higher quality audio and the ability to play more than 2 tones or melodic lines at once (see Final Fantasy VII), bringing game music quality closer to that of traditional music. Increased storage capacity and quality enabled the inclusion of voice acting to games, enhancing game developers’ ability to tell stories and immerse the player. However, the processing of this audio was still limited (CPU constraints of the device hardware).

The Modern Era (2000s-Today): Another large leap in sound technology came about with the launch of the PlayStation 2 (PS2), Xbox, and Gamecube in 2000, which included surround sound (Dolby Digital and DTS). Another console generation later saw a massive leap in computing power; the PS3 was ~10x as powerful as the PS2, which was ~9x as powerful as the PS1. This increase in computing power enabled real-time audio processing, which allowed for dynamic and interactive sound (i.e., audio that changes based on a player’s location or decision-making).

By the mid-2010s, video game music was primarily created using the same Digital Audio Workstations (DAWs) as those used in professional music production. With the advent of spatial audio and its integration into VR games, it is clear that limitations in modern hardware are no longer a factor in integrating high-quality, sophisticated audio into games.

Music in Games Today

Video game soundtracks have finally gained the recognition they deserve, standing on par with those of other media. The introduction of the Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack for Video Games and Other Interactive Media in 2023 (won by Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: Dawn of Ragnarök) marked a major milestone, signalling the growing influence of game music in the mainstream music industry.

In fact, video game music can have a higher impact on the player’s immersion compared to film and TV given its ability to respond to input. Music has the power to flesh out the worlds created in games and can dynamically change based on the player state and location. Music in games hypothetically can constantly interact with the player.

There are two types of music in games - original soundtracks (OSTs) and background music (BGM):

• OSTs: these typically comprise the main themes, character motifs, and music for key moments or cutscenes. These are often complex, memorable, and designed to stand alone outside the game context (some OSTs are sold like traditional music albums).
• BGM: this consists of ambient or atmospheric tracks that play during gameplay, often less melodic and more subtle than OST tracks. Similar to b-roll's role in films and television shows, BGM is designed to enhance the gaming experience without distracting from it, creating mood or tension as needed. These tracks are typically shorter, more repetitive, and may not make sense when listened to out of context.

The key differences between OSTs and BGMs are their purpose, complexity, and adaptability. OSTs aim to be memorable and emotionally evocative, while BGM more subtly enhances the gaming atmosphere, adapting to player actions and game situations.

‍The Future of Gaming x Music Innovation?

As we noted earlier, advancements in gaming hardware related to audio have largely plateaued over the past decade and are no longer a limiting factor in delivering high-quality music in games.

Generally, we believe that music-related costs will only see incremental improvements in the coming years as this is not a significant line item for most game developers (compared to other larger costs such as marketing and networking). There is already a large range of how much unique music hours even AAA developers include in their games.

There are 3 key takeaways from this cohort of games:

• Most games have <10 hours of unique music, while games with very large budgets will have >20 hours
• There seems to be virtually no correlation between the amount of gameplay hours and the number of unique music hours
• A large unique music library is not correlated with a commercially successful game

While new technologies such as AI and AR can introduce new capabilities such as “infinite”, adaptive soundtracks or interactive music, we do not believe that billion dollar enterprises focused solely on music production in games will emerge in the coming years. Despite the clear positive impact that music has on games, developers have discretion and optionality on how much time and money to invest in this audio.

We believe that new technologies will only continue to decrease the amount necessary to invest in music to achieve a similar or marginally better quality of audio. We believe that for the vast majority of game developers, there is a threshold on how much they are willing to spend on music. Therefore overall, there is not enough capital being invested for a multi-billion dollar business to emerge in video game music technology.

Takeaway: Music will always be a powerful immersion tool for game developers. Technological advancements, primarily in gaming hardware, have enabled music producers to maximize the quality and quantity of audio experiences in games, making gaming music comparable to traditional music. However, going forward, we believe that further innovation in this category will only further democratize quality music in video games. We do not believe that game developers are willing to invest a higher proportion of their budgets into music and do not believe there is enough capital invested in music applications for game companies for a multi-billion dollar company to emerge.