This weekend, Birmingham will host the BAFTA Games in Concert at Symphony Hall, featuring iconic scores from the gaming industry. Among the highlights is the music of Wilbert Roget II, composer of Helldivers 2, a massively popular multiplayer game known for its chaotic gameplay and satirical tone.
Influences and Direction
Roget II drew inspiration from films such as Planet of the Apes (1968 and 2001), Terminator 1, 2, and 3, War of the Worlds, Annihilation, Robocop, The Matrix, and Starship Troopers. He experimented with synth sounds, combining FM synths with analog hardware for bass lines, and blending acoustic instruments with synthesized counterparts. The guiding principle was an earnest approach to satire: the music takes itself completely seriously, enhancing the comedy.
Balancing Satire and Action
Roget II emphasizes that the music avoids hinting at satire; instead, it remains serious, allowing players to feel they have earned the intense action cues and extroverted fanfares due to the game's difficulty.
Musical Identity for Factions
Unlike Helldivers 1, Helldivers 2 assigns unique sonic palettes to each faction. Super Earth tracks feature melodic brass, prominent synths, and uplifting harmonies, while alien races employ different horror elements in their arrangements.
Interactive Music for Co-op
Roget II created the 'Superpatriotic Supercrescendo' to build narrative arcs in each mission. The cycle begins with quiet ambient music on the ship, intensifies during mission selection, peaks during the drop sequence, and shifts to dynamic enemy-based music during gameplay. After extraction, a victory fanfare leads back to calm ambience.
Supporting Chaos
Despite the game's viral chaotic clips, Roget II wrote lengthy suites that gradually ramp from ambience to high-intensity action. These were delivered in stems to Sony PlayStation's music editing team for dynamic in-game triggers.
Collaboration with Developers
Roget II visited Arrowhead Game Studios in Stockholm for a week of planning and playtesting. The Sony PlayStation music team became his main point of contact for scoring and production.
Representative Moment
Roget II highlights the transition from the launch sequence to gameplay as most representative: the main theme plays during the drop cutscene, but upon landing, players face alien horrors with tense, eerie underscore.
Tickets for BAFTA Games in Concert at Symphony Hall on Saturday, 6 June, are still available.
