‘Dying Light 2 Stay Human’ composer Olivier Deriviere on scoring hope into the grisly video game

In a post-apocalyptic video game, using the environment of dilapidated buildings to parkour like a spider monkey to avoid the zombie-riddled ground is one thing. Treating this essence very seriously from the start of pre-production is the game’s composer Olivier Deriviere, who sees video games as “a cultural object reflects our world, society, existence.” Three years of working on the game produced a score that breathed life into a game of the undead, and gamers often find themselves bobbing their heads in time with the music— whether they are doing a fun exploration of the world, making a plot-changing decision or engaging in the most brutal combat. Edited excerpts: While ‘Dying Light 2: Stay Human’ is a post-apocalyptic game with a certain mood, there is a sense of hope for Aiden’s story and wonderment in the world. It is key for me to interact as much as needed with the creative director and the game director; for Dying Light 2, I spent three years fully committed with Techland. How experimental did you get for ‘Dying Light 2 Stay Human’, that you haven’t managed to do for other past projects?