GDC 2025 Main Stage: A Developer's Concert

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[Music] Thank you. I'm really glad that I'm not the only one who finds that funny. Uh so thank you for for indulging that little experiment. Uh, welcome back to our official GDC developers conference who all was here last [Applause] year. Fantastic. So, you are the reason why we're here again because you all did your evaluation forms. And so, just that little thing to think about. Uh, a bit of housekeeping for those who were here last year. We have no Troy Baker with us this time. I understand probably that's the reason you're here, but we will be locking the

doors. So, um, fair enough. Uh, I just want to say the reason why we're doing this is at least my personal motivation is not to celebrate game music, but to celebrate games and using music as kind of the way we do it. Um, obviously that's what I do. That's what we all do. So, it's our it's our tool, but this is not really in my mind about us. And what I love about this, what makes this so sacred is that GDC, you know, this isn't Comic-Con or PAX or something like that. The game developers is all of you. So, this is kind of like a it feels like an inner sanctum. It's a concert where we celebrate essentially what you all do. And as a composer, what you do is it is a privilege to be able to play in that sandbox uh with all of you. So it it really it means the world. Hopefully the kind of love letter to games as an art form is what you take away from what we're doing today. Uh if not, then I certainly will have failed in my

mission. So hopefully not. Again, if you have no opinion though, that's when you ignore the evaluation form. And uh if you if you do feel the love, then yes, copious notes are appreciated. Um a quick note on where we're going to go next. So, one of the things uh that is so special about games, obviously I don't need to preach this to this crowd, uh is the ability to truly go all around the world and to reach people. And obviously, a lot of the outside world, outside of our development community sees it as as an entertainment form, and it is. And I actually think that's not to be, you know, trivialized or spoken about as if, you know, mere entertainment is actually a trivial thing. It's not. Uh but it but it's so much more. Games provide solace for people who need it and and and decompression. And it it provides a way to to contend with challenging ideas or or ideas that make you uncomfortable but maybe ought not to and and gives you a way to kind of slowly grow as a person

and and meet new people or see other people in new ways. And one of the things that's easy to it's all too easy. I don't think any of us on here are guilty of it, but it is all too easy to forget, especially when we all convene in a city like San Francisco, is that games are not just appreciated by people all over the world, but they're made by people all over the world. Everywhere there are human beings, there are people making video games. And I think it's absolutely inspiring and and an astounding fact. And so with that in mind, uh, I have put together a little medley of just the tiniest sliver of tip of the iceberg of games from all over the world as a celebration of that kind of shared global community that we're all so lucky to be a part of. So enjoy. [Applause]

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Thank you. I think Did Olivier make it? here to join us. I think one of those represented composers if Olivia is here somewhere that all right Olivia Derivier in the back there waving composer of a plague tale and the upcoming South of Midnight which uh very intrigued by. Um, okay. So, one of the great joys, as is hopefully already obvious about putting together this concert is focusing a lot of attention, all the attention on my friends and peers and colleagues uh that I I feel so grateful to share in this space, which is why it represents an aberration of that moral code that if you'll indulge me, I'd like to share a

little bit of my music for this next uh couple of bits. It's going to be brief. We'll get through this. Um, the reason why I'm giving myself permission to do this is because they're very GDC specific stories that I want to tell. So, the first one is, uh, 10 years ago, I had worked on Assassin's Creed Syndicate and had just come out and I was out in the lobby of this building walking and I hear someone yell my name and I turn, I see this guy and he's coming at me with what looks like a sword and it it's I'm stupid. It was a cardboard poster tube and he pulls it out and he says, "Hi, I'm Jeff. I I was one of the producers at Ubisoft on on Syndicate and and I and I have here a poster of the game signed by all,400 million people that worked on it, but your signature is the only one missing. So, I hunted you down to add it to the my my sort of collection of the team, which was a very charming way to essentially meet someone for the first time." And uh and so, of course, we became friends. And then a few years later, he and some folks uh left their

respective positions and started a brand new studio called Yellow Brick Games. And their first title just shipped about two months ago called Eternal Strand. And I had the immense uh privilege of uh being invited to write the score for that game. And and I I wanted to include it on here because for me, that sort of moment where you get to become friends with somebody and it's not really about networking and stuff like that. just literally in the lobby and someone comes up and you strike up a conversation and then years later you get to work together. That's sort of what I think all of this is about and that's why I love coming here and it's why I love seeing people. And so that's my hopefully reasonable justification why I'd like to share with you the theme to eternal strands. [Applause]

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Thank you. Thank you. Are are my Did my yellow brick fans make it here? Stand, please. It is a privilege to work with you. the affforementioned poster man. We're making a habit of you charging at me. Uh it's it's good. No, no, uh lunch objects this time, so that's good. He actually did this to me yesterday at breakfast. He came running at me with thing with the Eternals Chance poster. I was like, you have no idea. I'm going to tell that story. Uh okay, one more indulgence of my music and then and then and then we're done with me. um similar reason for telling the story,

but I I how many people are here at their first ever GDC? Oh, amazing. Amazing. So, this it's for folks like you that I am including this next piece because GDC is equal parts amazing and intimidating and terrifying. And I'm sure that all of you who just raised your hands are experiencing that. It is it's a rather overwhelming thing the first time. For me, it was like the first probably seven times that I came here and because you have this constant sort of FOMO. There's a thing I'm supposed to be at and there was a network thing thing and there's this parties. Do I need a secret code to get into that party? And and it feels like you're kind of feeling along this wall that's impenetrable. And then you come a few times and then you realize you just start getting to know people and making friends and stop caring about all that stuff and just realizing, oh, I see people I like. We spend time together and then over time we actually make stuff together or we're just friends who enjoy being in this shared professional art form together. And so someone who

really helped me make that transition where I was constantly coming here afraid I was doing it wrong or I was somehow if I didn't leave with 50,000 business cards of people who wouldn't remember who I was then I had somehow failed at GDCing. And uh and then I got to know a guy named Andy Shots who became a real close friend and it just felt there he is right there. You'll get your moment when we're done. Uh he made a game called Monaco and that was my first kind of foray into like a proper indie game where it was a small team scrapping together something really really special. And so because they made a special announcement this week, I thought, okay, let's go down a little memory lane and I'll use that as my way to evangelize for all of you who are here for the first time. Just relax. Just just chill. Find someone you enjoy hanging out with. And if that is the sole productivity you get of being here, you are doing it right. And it took me a long time to realize that. So here's my little way of evangelizing for that

philosophy. [Music] Heat. Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. Heat. [Music]

Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat.

[Music] Thank you for that. Okay, now Andy, you can stand up and get some love from the uh [Applause] crowd. A titan of the indie game community. Also, big shout out to Rob Kovac, our pianist, working overtime. All right, I'm going to change the mood

dramatically. I would like to do something very introspective and very meditative. I have a friend who I would like to help me do this if you would join us. [Applause] [Music]

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Heat. Heat. [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] Of course, the composer of Hell Divers 2, Will

Roer. He and I first met at what I'm pretty sure it was my first GDC almost 20 years ago. I think it was I think it was your first GDC as well. And I remember we were in a thing they call the demo derby where composers share their music and and I heard his and I thought, "Holy hell, I felt so amateur in that moment." And uh and this validates that. So I am in fact an amateur. Um Will, you had an absolutely incredible 2024. Um, and so explain yourself, young man. That's a fair point. Yes, we we do in inevitably not have control over when these things come out, but nonetheless, you had quite the stack. Uh, shall we dive in and do a little trip through

your 2024? Sure. Okay. Okay, with that in mind, we need to bring out one more guest. If we could bring to the stage Dean Anthony Wooten, very talented composer in his own right from Dave the Diver, by the way. [Music] [Applause] [Music] Oh yeah. Heat. Heat.

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[Music] [Music] How great is all of that? My god, that's all last year. Well, Mortal Kombat 11, I cheated a little, but it's just such a good theme. My god. So, yeah. Unbelievable showing. It is a It is a I mean this in all earnestness. It is a privilege to be your friend and terrifying to be your colleague. You raise the bar so aggressively that it is exhausting to be in the trenches. But it is a privilege because I think I'm I'm sure there's many of our peers out here. I think

someone like you genuinely makes us be better just for out of desperation to keep getting work. We have to be better. Uh so so uh for real, thank you for what you do for this art. Now having gotten a pretty good sized sampling of your work, I posed the question to Will beforehand. Um in order that we can understand him better, what would be a piece of music that helped shape him that we can play something that was at the origin of his own kind of maturing as an artist? And so tell us what we're going to hear and why. Yeah, I mean I was always into Japanese role playing games when I was growing up. Um, it's really what taught me how to write music in the first place. You know, back in the day, long before we had streaming or even MP3s, if you wanted to listen to your favorite piece from a video game, you had to download the MIDI file painstakingly transcribed note by note by a basement dwelling nerd. And I was one of those basement dwelling nerds.

But doing so, that's how I learned how to write music in the first place. Um, I didn't necessarily have the classical composition education. It was more just transcribing by ear and understanding how they wrote these pieces that I loved to death and why they made the decisions they did. Um, Sophiel industri, I'd love for us to play a piece from one of my favorite scores, which was ChronoCross. [Applause] [Music]

Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat.

[Music] Heat. Heat. Heat. [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] Thank you sir for Will Roger.

So, um, astonishingly, other games scored by other people actually came out last year, uh, which comes as a bit of a shock. Uh, but, um, I thought, uh, since we did this last year, I like this idea of a recurring tradition to just create a medley celebrating a bunch of the titles uh, that came out the prior year that that that that won our hearts and inspired our creativity. And I especially wanted to do this because uh it is not lost on anyone in this room that it has been a tumultuous few years uh in this industry. I'm sure that everyone in this room was either directly or indirectly affected by project cancellations, layoffs, studio closures, all that kind of stuff. It's a it's a brutal reality we all have to contend with. God knows I had some heartbreaks of my own uh with projects last year. I think every one of us has that in common and that's what makes it all the more inspiring to me and worth celebrating all these games that still

managed to come out and be really really good. And so I see this as while I don't want to turn a blind eye to the realities that we all face, there's still lots of cause for celebration. So here's a little dose of celebration. [Applause] [Music] Huh? [Music] Huh? [Music]

Heat. Heat. [Music] Hallelujah. Heat. Heat. [Music]

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Hallelujah. Heat. Heat. [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] Heat. [Music]

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[Applause] Down down down down down down Jack down down down down down down down down down down down down down down down down down down down down [Music] [Applause] [Music] Down. Heat. Heat. Heat. [Music]

[Music] Let's see who's here. Is Jason Graves uh here or Jason still walks the Jeep? Uh Kenny. Is Kenny here somewhere? our our Astrobot composer Kenny Young. You say, "Yeah, we I think Oh, bravo. I think Wifred couldn't make it, but uh applause for anyone that shipped anything in 2024,

please." All right, I have another guest. one of my most cherished romantic relationships uh in my life. Uh you know him, I know for a fact you love him. Uh the composer were pleased if he would join me of Bastion Transistor Py Hades and the work in progress Hades 2 Darren Car. [Applause] Now, Darren, I have a confession for our fine audience. Um, I promised that when we finished Monaco, we were done with my music on this program and that was a 50% lie. Can you explain what I am talking about? Yes. Uh, so we collaborated on

one of the pieces that we're going to play. Uh, I had the incredible privilege of working with Austin on this piece of music that we recorded at Abbey Road over the summer with a giant orchestra and it was like a total bucket list dream come true experience for me and I had just such a wonderful time collaborating with you Austin and uh yeah, it it was s such a blast and I hope to find any excuse uh to do it whenever possible. That was way nicer than I was anticipating. Uh don't let the sweater fool you. He can he can dish. But uh the uh no it it it was a privilege. Working uh with Darren uh on Hades 2 has been one of the absolute joys of my life. I'm really just riding his coattails. Um but we're going to share with you a little bit of what we did and then a little bit of something that is pure unadulterated Darren. [Music]

[Music] Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. Heat. [Music] [Music]

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Ashley Barrett, long time Super Giant collaborator and Melanino herself, the star of Hades to Judy Lee. And once again for Darren and for Super Giant Games in general for showing us all how it's done and making it look incredibly easy. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thanks for having us. Appreciate it. We're very nearly to the end. Uh thank you all, by the way, for giving me your lunch hour. That was very kind of you. I hope you are enjoying yourself. This next one is very easy to set up because this particular project turned 15 just a few weeks ago. So, I thought we need to celebrate its birthday. So, here we go. Happy 15th birthday to without question one of the greatest games ever made from what is I think my favorite franchise in existence. Enjoy.

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[Music] Heat up here. [Music] [Music] [Applause] So, yes, happy birthday. Uh, Mass Effect 2. I love those games. In fact, did I see Sam somewhere in it? Yeah, Sam Hulix stand up. One of the amazing contributors to the Mass Effect

[Applause] franchise. Also, funny enough, not the only birthday. So, today, literally right now, is my wife's birthday. Uh, and you're beating me to the punch here. She's back in Los Angeles. And so, question, are you all having a nice time? Have you enjoyed this? Okay, great. Then I'm going to cash in that favor. Will you all say tamo on the count of three? She's from Costa Rica. So, ready? One, two, three. Tay. All right. Good. That's some that's feeling some property love on one's birthday. So, thank you for that. You've done me an immense service since I'm up here with you all and she's back in Los Angeles without me. So, thank you. You're helping me. Um, while we're in this loving spirit for this orchestra, one more time, we have just one left.

Please, Rob Kovac, the 88 bit pianist. Tom Staley on guitars, Kristen Magus on every woodwind that exists. Laura and Travia rocking the flute and singing. Our spectacular San Francisco brass section and these fabulous string players from the San Francisco Conservatory. Thank you all. All right, we have just one left and then you are free to go about your day. Uh, this piece is a few years old. When I heard it, it instantly became one of my favorites that I'd ever experienced in any game. I dreamt of the day to be

able to conduct it. Today is that day. I'm very excited. I love this piece. So, don't applause yet. You don't know what it is. You might hate it. I'll be having a good time, though. Um, I think that as long as people care about video games, they're going to care about this score. It's uh the music is by a wonderful human being who's a dear friend. I need to bring one final guest to the stage in order to pull this off. So, I will uh without further ado bring the greatest actor who has ever been in video games. I'm going to pay for saying that. Uh Ben Star Clive of Final Fantasy 16.

Hell, hell. Hell, hell would hold your claws. world. But now down here comes what do you do? [Music] Fools, fools, how hard you are fought. Brave, brave, but has been for true

souls that couldn't be bought. Doomed, detected, and caught. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat.

Heat. Heat. I don't know. Heat. Heat.

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