Business
BBC Proms Features Video Game Music
The annual BBC Proms event celebrated another milestone, and took the headlines, by adding video game scores to their library of culturally significant music, in a first for the event that debuted all the way back in 1895.
This year marked the very first time that video game soundtracks have been included in the lineup, and there was even a special concert ‘From 8-Bit To Infinity’ that took place last week, showing just how far video game music has come.
“It is a really welcome move to hear video games music brought to life in one of the most prestigious classical festivals in the world, highlighting the multi-faceted, extraordinary output of this powerhouse industry and its exceptional talents,” BAFTA’s head of games Luke Hebblethwaite said, during an interview with GamesIndustry.biz.
“It’s brilliant to see games composers joining the BBC Proms line-up for the first time, cementing their deserved place alongside those working in film, classical music and wider established art forms.”
“It was only a matter of time before the BBC recognised the cultural significance of not only the gaming industry, but some of the incredible music that is an integral part of the gaming experience,” Richard Jacques, composer of last year’s Guardians of the Galaxy game said. “As an industry we have proven that we are no longer the poor relation of Hollywood, or are inexperienced in the classical genre. Indeed, an event such as this is often the first time a fan of the genre has actually seen a live orchestral performance, which often leads the way for them to discover other symphonic works, from Stravinsky to Scriabin to Schubert and beyond. Video game soundtracks can be enjoyed equally by gamers and non-gamers alike, since music is for everyone, music is universal. The BBC Prom clearly has demonstrated this and long may it continue.”
David Wise, composer of Donkey Kong Country and Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair also chimed in on the development.
“The cultural significance of video game music scores is a phenomenon on a global scale. Gamers have listened to these themes since their childhood, and nothing evokes nostalgia more than listening to a full orchestra and choir playing your favourite score which formed the backdrop to so many childhoods.
“Pokémon, Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy, Chronos from so many more great video games, with the soundtrack from Journey, composed by the incredible Austin Wintory, being the highlight of this year’s event for me.
“With so many internationally acclaimed video game composers emanating from the UK, I look forward to this event highlighting the incredible talent we have closer to home for future shows. History in the making for the Proms, with a tiny slice of video game music history to set the stage for so many more epic video game future proms.”
You can read the entire article over at GamesIndustry.biz.
Epic Games has officially released financial data related to it’s growing marketplace on PC, showing that $820 million was spent on the Epic Games Store during the 2022 year, and promised support for third-party subscription services and new ‘content hubs’ to help companies promote their titles.
According to the data:
The numbers
- Total users of Epic Games Store PC: 230 million (up 19% year-on-year)
- Epic cross-platform accounts: 732 million
- Daily active users peak: 34.3 million
- Monthly active users: 68 million (up 10%)
- Total spending, incl. Epic’s games: $820 million (down 2%)
- Spending on third-party games: $355 million (up 18%)
- Free games claimed: 700 million
- Number of new PC releases: 626
- Total library of PC games: 1,548 (up 68%)
Epic Games stated on it’s blog that more PC games launched during the 2022 year than in any year prior.
Fortnite, Grand Theft Auto 5, Rocket League, Genshin Impact, and Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands were among the most popular titles related to player engagement and player spending, and Epic Games looks to deepen their focus in 2023 as they aim to improve the store launcher’s performance.
Epic Games also aims to add support for subscription services from third-party publishers and live service products by the end of the 2023 year, adding that they are also working on ‘content hubs’ which will be separate from product pages and will enable publishers to “share information with users in a robust editorial format.”
A federal judge in San Francisco has ruled that the group of 10 plaintiffs “[lacked] allegations” in their lawsuit filed last year that claimed Microsoft’s ownerships of Activision Blizzard would harm consumers and competition in the video games market, according to a filing shared by Reuters.
While US District Judge Jacqueline Corley dismissed the case, she also gave the plaintiffs 20 days to refine their lawsuit and resubmit it, and the group’s lawyer, Joseph Saveri, said that there are plans to officially submit an amended lawsuit with “additional factual detail” that will address the judge’s concerns.
It marks a victory for Microsoft, but their battles are far from over as they still face a hearing over the Federal Trade Commission’s legal complaint, which is currently slated to take place in August of this year.
Microsoft and Activision Blizzard originally expected the transaction to be complete by June 30, 2023.
Catalyst Black developer Super Evil Megacorp has expanded their team following the announcement of their new partnership with content streaming platform Netflix, which include new additions from big name brands like Blizzard, Ubisoft, and Rockstar Games, according to MobileGamer.biz.
These are some of the appointments:
- Tim Hume – lead gameplay tech engineer
- JC Simbulan – lead animator
- Steven Goodwin – senior technical engineer
- Jurie Horneman – lead narrative engineer
- Cassandre Beaumier – production director
- Milo Casali – senior level designer
Netflix’s vice president and head of external games Leanne Loombe commented on the new title in the works for Netflix.
“It’s a big bet for us and we’re very much focused on creating an ecosystem around the streaming content and the game,” Loombe said. “It’s really a transmedia play for us in this brand new IP.”
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