The Assassin’s Creed series is all about one thing. No, not assassinating, the past couple of titles have thrown that part out the window. No, they’re about recreating a historic setting and immersing players in it. Jesper Kyd, one of the composers in the upcoming title Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla would know something about that.
Kyd is a renowned composer, having worked not only in games but also in film and TV. For now though, let’s focus on his work in scoring video games. Kyd has a long history with the Assassin’s Creed franchise. He has made music for the series since its first entry, all the way through the Ezio trilogy, with Revelations being the last. Even before working on Assassin’s Creed titles, Kyd’s resume was impressive. His name and music appear in Hitman: Codename 47, Hitman: Blood Money and even Amok. After departing with the Assassin’s Creed series, Kyd went on to score music for Borderlands 2 and 3, State of Decay 2 and Warhammer: Vermintide 2, among others. Kyd’s body of work has earned him multiple awards as well. The composer is a BAFTA award winner first and foremost, with multiple other commendations from IGN, MTV and Hollywood Music in Media Arts.
Yes, it’s true, I have returned to the world of @AssassinsCreed! I’m composing the score for Assassin’s Creed #Valhalla along with @SarahSchachner , plus original songs by @einarselvik1. Thanks to all the fans for your enthusiasm and amazing support! #AssassinsCreed pic.twitter.com/uoxOm6HQ4L
— Jesper Kyd (@JesperKyd) May 12, 2020
The only question remaining is what Kyd’s inclusion in Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla means for the game’s soundtrack. Listening back over the OST’s of Assassin’s Creed 2 and Brotherhood, you can find what are now auditory staples of the franchise. History bleeds into every track with the use of grand orchestras, chanting choruses, and heavy, syncopating drums during those more action-packed tracks. In Valhalla, it’s going to be fair to expect not just time-appropriate themed music, but also experimentation with those tools. Kyd’s music is influenced but not limited by the time period of the game he’s working on.
If you’d like to listen to some of Kyd’s work, you can find every track he’s worked on in the Assassin’s Creed franchise on the Ubisoft Music Youtube channel here. Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla will be releasing holiday season this year across current and next-gen platforms, on PC and on Google Stadia.
The post Jesper Kyd, Composer of Ezio Trilogy, Scoring Assassins Creed: Valhalla by Otto Kratky appeared first on DualShockers.