![]() Back then, even adding a single melodic line of electronic tones was difficult. Video game music really caught on in the 1980s, back when games barely fit onto physical cartridges. As game developers such as King, Rovio, and Zynga have expanded into multi-billion dollar enterprises, they've followed in the footsteps of movie studios and console game companies-by hiring armies of in-house creatives like illustrators, animators and composers. ![]() Games like Candy Crush, Angry Birds and Bejeweled have proven that tiny screens can still turn huge profits. Candy Crush, by comparison, is a free app that makes its millions from in-game purchases such as extra lives and game bonuses. That's significantly more than play console games on Xbox or Playstation, which generate more revenue per player but require expensive purchases to get started. The number of people who play their games each day (137 million) is more than double the population of the United Kingdom (64 million), where the company is headquartered. If you've never heard of Candy Crush, consider this: King is one of a handful of casual game developers valued at over $4 billion. In the game, it rises and falls for a brief 7 minutes, but pivots to additional tracks as the player explores new levels.Ĭomposer Johan Holmström has created the music for more than a dozen popular games. For Candy Crush Soda Saga, he tried out several iterations of electronic music before landing on his main orchestral theme. He then prototypes music to fit, be it hard rock, electronica, or classical. When he's not composing, he’s editing custom sound effects like underwater explosions and disappearing candy.įor each new assignment, game producers start by bringing Holmström sketches and ideas. “Ninety-nine percent of what I do is on the computer,” he says. His studio in Malmö, Sweden, consists of little more than keyboards, virtual instruments, and software. Holmström now composes full-time for King Digital Entertainment, which develops easy-to-play, impossible-to-put-down games for mobile devices and the web. (“Casual” games are the sort you play for a few minutes on the subway, or waiting in line.) If the sequel continues to succeed on mobile devices and online, Holmström's composition will deliver the London Symphony Orchestra to low-fi laptop speakers and iPhone earbuds across the world. Candy Crush Soda Saga is the sequel to one of the most successful casual games ever, King Digital Entertainment's Candy Crush Saga, which was downloaded half a billion times. In an era of shrinking audiences for classical music, performers and composers have found an unlikely ally in the simplest and cheapest kinds of video games. Its composer, Johan Holmström, has created the music for more than a dozen popular games. But a few months ago, the London Symphony Orchestra performed music that's popular on a entirely different platform: the soundtrack for the video game Candy Crush Soda Saga. It's where the Beatles recorded “A Hard Day's Night” and “Revolver,” and where John Williams conducted the stirring themes of the Star Wars films. Abbey Road Studios in London has heard more than its share of memorable music.
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