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Wilbert Roget II has been composing some of the biggest projects of the last few years, and you’ll have heard his work without even realizing it. Providing the scores for massive games likeHelldivers 2andStar Wars Outlaws,as well as upcoming anime hitGundam: Requiem for a Vengeance,there aren’t many better positioned in today’s industry.
Helldivers 2, Star Wars Outlaws and the Process
Firstly, thank you so much for taking the time to talk with us(again!)! For those who may not be aware, would you mind explaining who you are and what you do?
Delighted to chat with you again! My name is Wilbert Roget, II, and I am a music composer for video games, and most recently, Japanese anime.
What’s the most challenging aspect of composing for a video game compared to other mediums?
Game scoring is unique in that it’s an interactive medium, rather than a completely linear one; the audience is not passive like in film or TV, but rather, they are actively determining the pacing and outcome of their interaction.
In a way you’re able to think of film scoring as arithmetic, but game scoring as algebra – we have unknown variables to solve for in real time, and structure our scores and music implementation (playback) systems to address these variables as seamlessly as possible.
You’ve scored two of the biggest games of the year in Helldivers 2 and Star Wars Outlaws, both incredibly different. How do you approach them considering the different aspects and tones of the games?
Despite them both being orchestral scores and having some of the same musicians behind them (including the Nashville Scoring Orchestra), I felt as though the scoring process forHelldivers 2andStar Wars: Outlawscame from two completely different “branches” of my musical personality. MyHelldivers 2sound was in a way an evolution of the sound I developed forCall of Duty: WWII (2017).
I substituted the respectful, historical fiction vibe ofCall of Dutyfor a more bombastic, over-the-top sci-fi vibe inHelldivers 2. However, for the satire in Helldivers 2 to work, a certain earnestness was needed; the music itself has to “believe” the propaganda of Super Earth, so my experience with theCall of Dutyfranchise was extremely helpful in attaining this military heroism vibe.
It was a tremendous privilege to write such an unusual score for Pacific Drive in particular, working entirely with synthesis and musical sound design rather than the orchestral scoring I’m often asked for.
ForStar Wars: Outlawshowever, a closer analog would be myLara Croft and the Temple of Osiris, Guild Wars 2: Path of Fire,andMortal Kombat 11scores. Those each used a wide variety of world instruments and synthesized elements to underscore very colorful worlds, and express the grand adventure of the game’s narrative.
How do you ensure you never repeat yourself, even with games similar in tone, or within the same franchise?
Before I begin any scoring, I usually like to spend a few weeks in what I call the “pre-composition” phase – I’ll do research, collect my own reference tracks, analyze relevant films or books, and transcribe music if I want to learn a new musical style.
Basically the goal is to feed my subconscious mind with a musical diet that helps me determine what the DNA of the score will eventually become. Since this process is different for every score, it helps me to break away from previously established patterns and write with a fresh mindset, even when working on a similar title or sequel.
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What excited you about Star Wars Outlaws, before jumping on board?
I love stealth games, particularly theMetal GearandSplinter Cellseries, as well as action-adventure games like the Uncharted series, so it was a very pleasant surprise when Ubisoft Massive reached out to me to work on Outlaws! I had previously scored several games in the Star Wars franchise, and while I had a fantastic experience working on the VR Vader Immortal title, I wanted to move on from writing Star Wars music in a traditional, purely orchestral style.
Thankfully, Ubisoft was excited to create a score that expanded on the traditional Star Wars sound, incorporating modern elements like synthesis and designed instruments, as well as world instruments and extended techniques. I leaned into this greatly with my demo for the project, which ultimately became the title track “Kay Vess, The Outlaw” – it begins with musical sound design and synth beats, and expresses the main melody with electric violin, before eventually going into a more typical Star Wars-style orchestration.
And as a follow-up, what do you look for when picking projects and proposals to accept? And does this differ depending on the medium?
I try my best not to repeat myself with my scores, and this does begin with the decision of whether or not to accept a project. Recently I’ve been approached to score a few rather high-profile franchise titles that showed incredible promise in the gameplay, but ultimately I decided to turn them down – both for scheduling reasons and because I didn’t feel I’d have anything new to say. The music that these games needed would’ve been too similar to scores I’d already written. So I always seek new challenges and new angles to approach game scoring whenever possible!
How did your process differ between the two titles?
In terms of process, the two scores were drastically different. On Outlaws, I collaborated much more closely with the audio team and developers at Massive Entertainment, taking part in the design of the interactive music system in particular. Their audio director and music designers are rather accomplished musicians and composers themselves, and so their feedback greatly helped bring forth the best qualities of my musical goals.
WithHelldivers 2, the music team at Sony Interactive Entertainment handled implementation and music system design themselves – my involvement was purely to create the content itself. Usually I like to be much more closely involved, but the SIE team has many years of experience, as well as a very iterative process in implementing and re-implementing music. They frequently review the game for potential music opportunities, which is how we developed the iconic drop music sequence that starts each game level!
Are you finished with both titles, or is there more composing and recording needed for the DLCs?
Unfortunately I can’t comment on my own future involvement just yet, but I am sure that there will be plenty of new gameplay content yet to come for both titles!
Star Wars Outlaws has had many descriptions from many people, but the most popular one used by fans and devs alike is how Kay Vess is a scoundrel in a Star Wars world. How did you implement this into your score?
In contrast to the Imperials, Crimson Dawn and Zerek Besh, Kay comes from very limited means and has to make do with whatever she can find. She’s a scrappy fighter and focuses on stealth and misdirection more than raw firepower or expensive preparations. So I tried a similar approach to the music – my stealth cues rely heavily on found object percussion “instruments” like wine bottles, guitars played like percussion, and so on. Her melody also incorporates Spanish-influenced guitar and electric violin, which I felt gave the score a bit of a Western vibe and reinforced the sense of adventure.
And most directly, her theme (“Kay Vess, the Outlaw”) begins with a moment of narrative musical sound design – a gun cocking sound is heard, followed by the sound of two large coins colliding in mid-air. I used this to quite literally portray her as a gun-slinging thief.
Also, sort of a follow-on, but how do you go about scoring for the stealth sections of a game like Outlaws, and is it made more awkward by the multiple different gameplay options?
Because the game is open-world, and it uses a full stealth system, we needed music to fluidly go between several different intensities of combat, stealth, and hiding. We developed a 7-layer interactive combat suite system, where the music can seamlessly go between any intensity level while retaining unmistakably theStar Warsvibe, and still keeping the unique musical identity we’d established for Outlaws. It took a good bit of tuning and restructuring for this to work, but the team at Massive did a fantastic job of making this work in real time.
Did you take any inspiration from either your previous Star Wars work or the greater universe as a whole?
My primary inspiration for the traditional part of the Outlaws score was the first film,Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. The game itself takes place between the next two films,The Empire Strikes BackandThe Return of the Jedi,but I gravitated towards the first movie because of its simpler orchestration and harmony, dry orchestral recordings from a smaller hall, and focus on establishing themes. This is the beginning of our protagonist Kay Vess’ journey, and so the adventurous optimism ofA New Hopeseemed more appropriate than the higher stakes presented in the next two films.
I think there are four “poles” that a game composer needs to satisfy: music has to be correct for the game, for the fans, and for the client, while also being entertaining for the composers themselves.
With regard to the non-orchestral elements, my work on theMortal KombatandLara Croftseries was the closest analog in terms of instrumentation. I also drew influence of course from theMetal GearandSplinter Cellseries, particularly in the use of synth elements to underscore stealth gameplay.
Helldivers 2 is a balls-to-the-wall, adrenaline-pumping experience. How do you navigate the different moods throughout an average mission, and ensure you’re giving us the right sounds in the right moments?
When working with the Sony Interactive Entertainment music group, composers rarely deliver complete game-ready assets; instead, we’re usually asked to write “suites” of music that have a natural progression from intro to body and ending, often including both stealth and intense combat elements throughout. We deliver in many stems, and the Sony team then edits these themselves into game assets. They can then construct the interactive music system however they like, and they frequently revise their implementation based on how the game is developing.
Some players managed to navigate the missions in pure stealth mode, something even the devs may not have expected. Was this factored into your own work, and if not, what would you change now to make it so?
Actually, when I wrote the score, we anticipated more of a stealth component than what typically happens in a mission; in our testing, more time was spent between enemy encounters. So every faction and every planet biome type has a few “scene setter” cues that establish a mood in an ambient way, in addition to the calmer suspense music we have for the Automatons and Terminids.
The Perfect Score, and the Future
You’re no stranger to AAA gaming with your previous work including Call of Duty and Mortal Kombat. How much does the genre of a project affect your work, and in what ways?
Because myMortal Kombatwork was primarily for main themes and cutscenes, the genre itself didn’t usually impact my writing – my musical decisions were based on the scenes themselves, and the various cultures of Outworld, Earthrealm, Netherrealm, and Chaosrealm.
When composing the in-game final battle stage music forMortal Kombat 1however, I wanted to reference the musical styles from the classic 1995Mortal Kombat movie, with driving rhythms that give players a sense of energy during the gameplay. So I incorporated the sounds of EDM, techno, and heavy metal for each respective round, used in conjunction with orchestral backing.
What makes a great score in your opinion?
There are many kinds of great scores – some with melody and some completely ambient, some electronic and some orchestral, some comprised entirely of vocal songs; game scoring is shockingly diverse! So in my opinion, the most important thing is that the composer finds a way to have fun with the music. Listeners can clearly tell when a score has been written joylessly, or without any experimentation.
I don’t believe game players care as much about music sounding “appropriate” as we tend to as game creators; they prefer to use their imaginations to make sense of why a certain piece of music was written for its corresponding scene. So perhaps the greatest game scores are the ones that manage to surprise players, with music that’s memorable both for its content and for its use in-game.
How do you juggle the different projects you work on at any given time?
It isn’t easy! These past two years, I’ve had moments where I’d be dealing with working on three or more different projects each day. It helps to attempt to restrict the composition itself to one score at a time for at least a few days at a time, as creative work is where it’s the most difficult to switch gears. I also like to write major tasks down on Post-it notes rather than keeping an electronic schedule.
Is there a collaboration between yourself the developers of any given project, or are you given notes, or complete free reign? Or does that come down to an individual experience?
The number of revision requests varies greatly from client to client, but they of course always have the final say. I think there are four “poles” that a game composer needs to satisfy: music has to be correct for the game, for the fans, and for the client, while also being entertaining for the composers themselves. Sometimes one of these might be at odds with another, and so it can be tricky to write in a way that satisfies all four. Composers for media have to be extreme musical contortionists!
Given the chance, what would you say to anyone interested in getting involved with the composing and music aspects of video game development?
There are many different jobs related to game music these days, from music editing to implementation, orchestration and copying, even mockup and synth design. When starting out, it’s not a bad idea to take stock of what aspect of the composition process you’re most excited about, and see if there are opportunities to do that in addition to the composition itself.
For instance, my first experiences working on AAA games were at LucasArts, working as a music editor and implementer. In addition to giving me a stable income, it also was an incredible learning experience that influenced all of my following work as a freelance composer.
And most importantly, it’s vital to build real and long-lasting friendships with other musicians, sound designers, or anyone else working in the industry. These friendships will be your support and inspiration for years to come, in addition to opening up potential collaboration opportunities!
Is there anything else you’d like to share that you never get the opportunity to?
I’m profoundly grateful to game music fans for their response to theStar Wars: Outlaws, Pacific Drive, Mortal Kombat 1,andHelldivers 2soundtracks! The reaction has been heartwarming, as these scores represent very different aspects of my musical personality. It was a tremendous privilege to write such an unusual score forPacific Drivein particular, working entirely with synthesis and musical sound design rather than the orchestral scoring I’m often asked for.
I would also like to mention that my first Japanese anime project,Gundam: Requiem for Vengeance, releases on Netflix on October 17th! This was a collaboration with Sunrise International, Bandai Namco, and SAFEHOUSE Inc., and it has been an incredible experience contributing to the Gundam franchise. Many of my favorite composers have written for the Gundam series, so it was a tremendous honor to take part in this as my first foray into Japanese anime.
Luke Addison
Former Head of Gaming
Articles Published :462
Luke Addison is a Former Video Game Critic and Gaming Editor. As likely to be caught listening to noughties rock as he is watching the latest blockbuster cinema release, Luke is the quintessential millennial wistfully wishing after a forgotten era of entertainment. Also a diehard Chelsea fan, for his sins.
