Stephanie Economou makes history winning the first Grammy for Video Game music
The talented composer Stephanie Economou, made history on February 5th by winning the first ever Grammy Award for video game music. Economou was awarded in the new category of Best Score Soundtrack for Video Games and Other Interactive Media for her work on the popular game, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: Dawn of Ragnarök. Other nominees included Bear McCreary for Call of Duty: Vanguard, Richard Jacques for Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, Christopher Tin for Old World, and Austin Wintory for Aliens: Fireteam Elite.
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is an action role-playing game set in a historical fiction world based on Norse mythology. The game has been praised for its beautiful graphics, engaging story, and immersive gameplay, with Economou’s music playing a vital role in creating the game's atmosphere. Economou’s work on the game is a masterful blend of orchestral and traditional Nordic music, which perfectly captures the game's Viking theme and enhances the player's experience.
In an interview with Ubisoft, Economou was asked if she has seen the attitude towards video game scores shift in the industry.
“I’ve seen so many colleagues and friends celebrating the depth of immersion and scope of narrative in video games. I think there’s a common understanding that game music has been the new frontier for creative innovation for a long time. The music gets to be alive, ever-evolving, and transformative. It’s such a visceral experience for the player and offers an exciting space to create music. I hope we continue to see developers push the boundaries of how we as an audience experience storytelling, which in turn will propel the musical possibilities in new and unexpected directions”.
Economou’s win marks a significant milestone in the recognition of video game music as a legitimate art form. The Grammy Awards have traditionally been focused on music from films, television shows, and albums, but the inclusion of a category for video game music shows that the industry is growing and gaining more recognition. It is a testament to the hard work and talent of Economou and the many other composers in the industry who have contributed to the evolution of video game music. Economou’s win is a triumph for not just the composer but for the entire video game industry.