Apart from the gameplay itself, a lot of players’ favourite thing about Helldivers 2 is its soundtrack, but its composer almost gave up on orchestral music.
I’d argue that one of the most important aspects of any game is its soundtrack. A bad one will be pretty noticeable, especially because tracks are often frequently reused, and considering how long so many games are, and that live service games will have you doing the same thing over and over, good music is important. Which is why it’s a good thing that Helldivers 2’s soundtrack is so good, as that game’s obviously been one of the biggest of the year. As it turns out, though, the game’s composer Will Roget almost decided to “move on” from orchestral music, but players’ reactions to Helldivers 2’s soundtrack gave him a lot of faith in continuing to make it.
Taking to his personal Twitter account, Roget wrote, “Funny story: Before Helldivers 2 came out I considered moving on from writing orchestral game music – it seemed like players were getting tired of it, it’s absurdly difficult, time-consuming and expensive to produce, and I wanted to try new things.” In some follow-up tweets, he continued, “So imagine my shock at how enthusiastically players responded to HD2’s score! From music-reaction vids to covers (even a full metal album?!), I’d never been more encouraged by listeners. For a traditionally-orchestral score, what I thought was impossible came true.
“And so apropos of Thanksgiving, I’m profoundly grateful for the players, musicians and [Arrowhead] devs for restoring my hope & passion for orchestral scoring. Award shows rightly have unique tastes, but knowing we’ve reached so many people is the greatest reward possible!”
Roget’s own tweet thread was prompted by former Arrowhead CEO Johan Pilestedt noting that the fact Helldivers 2’s soundtrack hasn’t “won or been nominated for best score is beyond me,” a point I would certainly agree with. Still, awards aren’t all that, and clearly the response from fans means more to Roget than a trophy would!