Nobuo Uematsu is concerned about the situation of composers in the gaming industry.
Nobuo Uematsu is a cult composer behind the soundtracks to the Final Fantasy series, from the first eight-bit compositions to the large-scale orchestral canvases of our time. In his opinion, the gaming music industry is going through hard times.
In an interview with the Japanese publication Real Sound, fragments of which were translated by the Automaton portal, Uematsu spoke about the current state of affairs in game development. According to him, today composers often find themselves in the role of executors of other people's decisions — producers and directors of projects receive excessive influence, even in matters of musical arrangement.
"I won't say it's a complete standstill. But, frankly, there are far fewer oddities now. Music in games has become less bold, less experimental. And this is because composers no longer feel free," — Uematsu noted.
According to Uematsu, even an outstanding level of musical training does not save the situation — authors do not dare to argue with producers who often demand imitation of Hollywood standards. "For them, it is enough that the music sounds like John Williams — and that's enough. But it kills individuality", the composer added.
He also drew a parallel with the 80s — an era when game music was just forming. Then there were fewer opportunities, but more freedom. Today, the situation is the opposite: composers have technology and tools, but no freedom.
Most likely, we are talking primarily about the Japanese gaming industry, where Nobuo Uematsu has worked all his life. However, this problem is also relevant in other markets. Today, a memorable soundtrack is more often given by independent composers and developers, while large studios strive to minimize risks and standardize, which is manifested not only in game design and storylines, but also in music.
