Simon Landry: Everyone was aware that this last chapter (the Dawn of Ragnarök expansion, Ed), had to be quite dramatic, theatrical, even epic. Between the lava, the ice and the fights, it is an almost Shakespearian experience that had to be depicted. As a general rule, we tried to develop the sound identity that we find since the beginning of the series Assassin's Creed. The idea was to give the soundtrack a new sonic and emotional tone.

To do this, we have notably integrated black metal influences (music from the Nordic countries, Ed) with saturated electric guitars that blend with period instruments like harps. What is interesting is to draw inspiration from the music of the time without aping it, otherwise the composition could quickly become heavy to listen to. It is necessary to offer modern productions, it is all the more important as the player will have to hear the soundtrack for hours. For me, it's really the music that gives an extra soul to the characters, and that promotes the immersion of the players.

SL: When we start a project, I make proposals to make the sound universe coincide with the game. I select four or five applications from composers, whose musical background seems to correspond to the request. Stephanie's name quickly appeared, she belongs to a wave of very promising emerging artists. As soon as I received new music, I was like, “Wow, what a talent! ". Then, his proposals were very popular so it immediately caught on very well. She was able to mix very beautiful vocal performances by adding the saturation of a black metal band that came to record in the studio.

In addition, she is a very good instrumentalist and we also owe her the violins and other bowed string instruments of the original soundtrack (BO). She even used a Nyckelharpa (a kind of typical violin that is played on the knees, Editor's note). All this contributes to give a unique color to its production.

SL: Once the creative development teams have reached a sufficient level of maturity on the identity of a game, they contact us to start thinking about the musical direction of the project. Generally, this step takes place two to three years before the game's release. It may seem long, but keep in mind that an episode of Assassin's Creed can require between two and three hours of music. In the case of a game extension, as is the case for The Dawn of Ragnarok, the need is less since the gameplay is shorter. So once I've been contacted, I initiate a conversation with the audio director and his team, the creative directors and the producer.

One of the first steps is to estimate the “amount” of music the game will require, as most of our creations are over 20 hours long – some games even reach 80 clocks. Obviously, you can't create as much music, so you have to decide on the systematization of certain passages and the customization of others. In parallel with these discussions, I look at the available budget to make viable recommendations to meet the order.

 SL: Yes maybe two things. What is certain is that this award is the source of many opportunities for Ubisoft. For example, as part of "Mirage" the next licensed title to be released in the coming months, we recorded with the New York Arabic Orchestra, and it seems to me that this Grammy facilitates the creation of new collaborations as well both internally and externally. Today, when I go to see a producer, I feel that I get more enthusiasm.  

Then, note that historically in the musical branch of video games, there are few women. In fact, it makes Stephanie's award even more historic. I'm all the more proud of it because I think she's going to become a model. As the father of a young girl, I hope that this award helps to break down the barriers to accessing this industry.