Story and Song: Building a Video Game World through Music

Mar 14, 2023

4:00pm – 5:00pm CT

Recording: Story and Song: Building a Video Game World through Music, Mar 14, 2023

Johnny Silverhand could never have been anything but a punk rocker. And Cyberpunk 2077’s SAMURAI always had to be a hardcore punk band… Or did they?

P.T. Adamczyk and Krzysztof Ostrowski, the duo responsible for the music of CD PROJEKT RED’s first-person role-playing game, will guide the audience through the creative process of making music an integral part of the immersive world of Cyberpunk 2077. From the freedom-fighting rocker who became a cornerstone of the story to the ways in which music influenced the lore and world of the game, this talk will cover a unique approach to video game scoring, one that emphasizes the organic ways music can shape, complement, and even recontextualize the larger narrative.

For Cyberpunk 2077, music is much more than a soundtrack; it is an essential part of the story, the world, and crucially, the player’s experience.

Programming descriptions are generated by participants and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of SXSW.

photo of Piotr “P.T.” Adamczyk
photo of Krzysztof Ostrowski
Krzysztof Ostrowski

CD PROJEKT RED

Primary Access
Music Badge
Platinum Badge
Interactive Badge
Film & TV Badge