February 3rd 2025.
If you have any knowledge of the video game world, then you're definitely in the cool crowd. Recently, an underrated role-playing game remake has even managed to surpass the popularity of well-known titles like God Of War and Spider-Man 2 at the Grammys this year.
Although video game music had received recognition at the Grammy Awards before, it wasn't until 2023 that a dedicated category was introduced to truly honor the contributions of gaming composers. This year's winner for Best Score Soundtrack for Video Games and Other Interactive Media was none other than Stephanie Economou, composer for Assassin's Creed Valhalla, for her work on the Dawn Of Ragnarök expansion. And in 2024, the award went to Star Wars Jedi: Survivor composers Stephen Barton and Gordy Haab.
Contrary to popular belief, this year's winner was not determined by brand recognition alone. Despite having several big-name nominees, the award ultimately went to the most obscure game on the list. The 2025 Grammys took place last night, with the nominees for Best Score Soundtrack including titles like Avatar: Frontiers Of Pandora, God Of War Ragnarök: Valhalla, Marvel's Spider-Man 2, Star Wars Outlaws, and the 2024 remake of Wizardry: Proving Grounds Of The Mad Overlord by Digital Eclipse.
Out of all the nominees, the fifth game on the list, the Wizardry remake, took home the prize. Despite its lack of mainstream recognition, the original Wizardry, released in 1981, is considered the origin point of all modern role-playing video games and has influenced the genre in both the West and Japan. The remake features a completely new soundtrack by veteran composer Winifred Phillips, known for her work on games like the original God Of War and LittleBigPlanet. The soundtrack is even available on popular streaming platforms like Spotify, Bandcamp, and YouTube for anyone interested in giving it a listen.
But the Grammys' eligibility period for nominations, which spans from September 16, 2023 to August 30, 2024, may explain why the nominees list differs from the one at The Game Awards 2024 last December. The latter included titles like Astro Bot, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, Metaphor: ReFantazio, Silent Hill 2, and Stellar Blade. However, only Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth and Stellar Blade were released within the eligibility period, suggesting that the Grammys may not be interested in games made outside of the Western market.
Despite all the accolades Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth has received, it seems the game doesn't need a Grammy to solidify its success. In other news, if you have something to say about this or any other topic, you can always reach us via email, leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter, or sign up for our newsletter. And if you want to submit letters or features without having to send an email, use our Submit Stuff page.
On a lighter note, did you see Jaden Smith's headgear at the Grammys? It definitely turned heads and sparked questions. And speaking of award shows, a nominated artist recently backed out of the Grammys with a message about wildfires. Lastly, the composer for Final Fantasy believes that game music is being held back by its tendency to mimic movie scores.
[This article has been trending online recently and has been generated with AI. Your feed is customized.]
[Generative AI is experimental.]
