As reported by Automaton, iconic video game composer Nobuo Uematsu, best known for his work on the Final Fantasy series, has recently given his take on the state of videogame music. In an interview with Japanese outlet Real Sound, Uematsu commented on where the industry is now, particularly concern about creative freedom for composers being stifled.
"I won’t go as far as to call it stagnation, but I believe directors and producers hold too much power in their hands even when it comes to the music," said Uematsu, according to Automaton's translation. "Even now, game composers aren’t in a position to speak their opinion freely, and no matter how much musical knowledge or technical skills they possess, they’re still in a position where it’s difficult to speak their mind.
"There are almost no game producers who are well versed in worldwide entertainment and are familiar with a wide variety of musical genres, so anything goes for them as long as you make it sound like a John Williams movie soundtrack."
Uematsu compared the situation to the game music industry back in the NES era of the 80s. Back then, few composers had their eye on making music for games, but that has changed dramatically over the course of Uematsu's career.
According to Uematsu, the industry has gone from giving game composers little attention to stifling composer's creativity or pushing them toward a narrow type of sound (often a John Williams style). As a result of that, Uematsu added that, "Frankly speaking, there’s less ‘weird things’ now."
Uematsu didn't seem too pessimistic about the future of game music, though. He's an avid fan of Elton John and cited the pop-rock artist's ability to create great music while still prioritizing commercial success. He sees this as evidence that it's possible to work with the demands of game directors and producers without compromising creativity.
With that said, Uematsu seems to be exclusively addressing professional development in this interview, and likely has Japanese developers in mind. This makes sense given it's the area of the industry he operates in, but we'd be remiss if we didn't mention how much good, weird music there still is in games, particularly independent ones.
Pizza Tower's Sega-style beats, Hollow Knight's haunting strings, the slick rock tracks in Hades, and Skald: Against The Black Priory's DOS soundcard-inflected fantasy score all spring to mind.
Uematsu suggested aspiring game composers keep trying new things, saying, "If you make the same stuff as John Williams and grow complacent with that, you’ll get nothing more from it. Now, what if someone put a bit of techno in there – what kind of sound would it become then? I believe that would be a good way to approach music."
