Composer Austin Wintory is the man behind the score for Assassin’s Creed Syndicate, Ubisoft announced.
Wintory is the first video game composer to be nominated for a Grammy. That was in 2012 for the game Journey. If you want to give that a listen, there’s a sample on his BandCamp page. He went on to score games like The Banner Saga and the upcoming ABZÛ.
With Assassin’s Creed Syndicate, Wintory was challenged with creating themes that evoked that Industrial Age London setting, and captured the personalities of the main characters, Jacob and Evie Frye.
“With regard to the twins, they have this wonderful confidence, almost arrogance – particularly Jacob,” Wintory said. “Their mannerisms were a very crucial insight for the music, because it gave us permission to approach the score with a bit of fun and even sarcasm.”
Ubisoft released a behind-the-scenes video of the music being played, and it definitely got me pumped. The Assassin’s Creed soundtracks are some of my favorites (especially Assassin’s Creed II), and this music sounds ready to stand up there with the rest of them.
Wintory took inspiration from smaller chamber orchestras of the 19th century, rather than large-scale orchestras. He also didn’t strive to create period-appropriate music so much as he tried to capture the character of London, the city.
“I’ve had a long-held passion for the chamber music of the 19th Century; the intensity one can get from this sort of music is quite distinct from the massive force of an orchestra,” he said. “You’re right in the face of a handful of brilliant players, each exploding with energy. Yet, because of its intimacy it can also sneak up on you in ways a lumbering orchestra can’t.” Much like an Assassin, I suppose.
Wintory says the soundtrack weaves into the characters as well, with the use of folk tunes and even hymns.
“They’re heard throughout London and played by various street performers, so it’s similar to the sea chanties from Assassin’s Creed IV. We saw to it that they bleed rather deeply into the score as well.”
You can check out his full interview with Ubisoft here.
Assassin’s Creed Syndicate will come out for Xbox One and PlayStation 4 on October 23. It takes place in London during the 19th Century and will feature a playable female character for the first time in a main series Assassin’s Creed game.
