Game Music Digest | Video Game DAWs, Street Fighter Goes K-Pop & Glocalised Music Collabs
How Hudson Mohawke made his first beats on PlayStation
Game Music Digest is a weekly wrap-up of the most interesting stories at the intersection of video games and music, brought to you by the music and gaming newsletter, MusicEXP.
Want more music and gaming news? Listen to the GXM Podcast I co-host with Thomas Quillfeldt. In our latest episode, me and Tom explore whether there’s such a thing as ‘too many’ video game concerts, as well as our thoughts on the video game summer showcases.
KORG Gadget for PlayStation 5 and the History (and future) of Video Game DAWs
In Brief: Detune, a video game development studio founded by Japanese composer Nobuyoshi Sano (best known for his work on Tekken and Ridge Racer), has released KORG Gadget for PlayStation 5. Created in Unreal Engine, KORG Gadget includes 16 unique embedded synthesiser and drum machine gadget instruments required for music creation, essentially turning the PlayStation into a DAW. The release of KORG Gadget on PlayStation is an updated version of similar games released on the Nintendo Switch and 3DS consoles.
EXP: Who needs Protools or Logic when you can make bangers on your PS5? While there’s obviously a limited market for stuff like this, it’s great to see music production software being made available on modern video game consoles, as the wider accessibility of stuff like this can inspire new audiences to make music for the first time.
That’s exactly what happened with games and software like the ProTracker on the Amiga and Music 2000 (or MTV Music Generator in the West) for the PlayStation. The PlayStation ‘Music’ series is particularly important as it’s credited by musicians and producers such as Lex Luger, Jonwayne, Hudson Mohawke and Amerigo Gazaway as being their gateway into music making. As Mohawke said in an interview with hhv mag:
“Yeah I was always working on my Playstation from I think around 1998. When they had the first music game come out on there because I couldn’t afford any hardware or even a PC for making music. So when this game came out I saw that this was my chance to do something. I was 12 years old and started messing around on the Playstation and started to make a lot of Jungle tracks and stuff like that.” – Hudson Mohawke
As Mohawke suggests, music production software wasn’t easily accessible in the ‘90s. Mohawke, like many other beat makers from the time, looked to video game consoles and home computers such as the Amigas to provide them with the tools they needed. This is something I learned back when I interviewed Brian Johnson AKA Bizzy B, who many people consider the godfather of breakbeat hardcore, for Vice back in 2018 [full feature here].
“History would not be the same if it wasn’t for the Commodore Amiga,” he told me. “It allowed me to have a doorway into the music business. I wouldn’t have been able to afford the money for a recording studio; I wouldn’t have been able to practice music production and take my music to the next level if it wasn’t for the Commodore Amiga. I’m sure there are a lot of other people who were in the same situation as me that actually used the Amiga to step up their game in the music industry.”
Even today, video games still provide an accessible route into music production, and are perfectly placed to encourage younger audiences to experiment with music creation.
The music production tools in Fortnite are an excellent example of this. Patchwork devices let players create and manipulate music and visuals in Fortnite Creative and UEFN experiences (check out this great video here). Similarly, there are thousands of DAW experiences on Roblox such as BeatMerger (5.1 million visits) and Music Maker (3.7 million visits).
Even outside of DAWs, a growing number of video games come with options to make music on in-game instruments, whether it’s the guitar in The Last of Us 2, the piano in Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth or the ukulele in Tchia. There’s even a music festival called Waetherstock that takes place every year in Lord of the Rings: Online, where players of the 2007 MMORPG gather in their masses to form bands and perform music.
While DAWs are more accessible than ever before, it’s important to remember the important role video games and home computers have played in the evolution of music production, the artists they helped create in the process and potential for modern video games to serve as a bridge into music production through popular games. A lot of people might not consider themselves ‘musicians’ until the tools are put right in front of them. Video games are a great way to encourage that!
Capcom Announces Street Fighter Collaboration with K-Pop Group aespa and virtual artist nævis
In brief: Capcom has announced a new collaboration with K-pop group aespa and its virtual artist mascot, nævis, for Street Fighter VI. The collaboration was announced in a promotional video featuring aespa’s song, Whiplash, and centres around a new aespa-inspired costume for the South Korean character, Juri Han, which costs 350 Fighter Coins (roughly $7). Nævis, a virtual artist who has played a prominent role in aespa’s lore building, will also be added to the game as a new commentator. The collaboration kicks off on July 4th and is accompanied by special in-game collaboration items such as photo frames, backgrounds and titles.
EXP: This collaboration has gone down well with Street Fighter fans who, up until now, have been disappointed by the lack of new skins for in-game collaborations. This collaboration highlights the growing popularity of K-pop in video games, with battle royale shooter PUBG also teasing an upcoming collaboration with aespa.
Pop culture critic Jung Duk-hyun recently spoke to the Korea Herald about the growing relationship between K-pop and video games, telling their reporter:
"For the K-pop industry, the narrative-building potential is a major draw. Idol groups have their own lore and well-developed characters, just like video games. That makes crossovers rich with storytelling possibilities… People often assume other content sectors are more profitable, but gaming eclipses them all (in Korea). For the K-pop side, if there’s a way to bring gamers into the fan ecosystem, there’s no reason not to pursue it.”
This focus on narrative and aesthetic also highlights the fact that video game and music collaborations don’t have to incorporate recorded music to be a success. Some collaborations such as PUBG’s collab with Blackpink feature original music written by the featured artist or recorded music incorporated into the game via radio stations, but there’s a growing number of video game studios who are not including music in their collabs – presumably to reduce costs – to focus on in-game items themed around the featured artist’s IP. Blizzard’s latest collab with Le Sserafim focussing on character costumes is a great example of this.
Labels should bear this in mind for the future, especially when so many artists are repped by non-music licensing agencies who can broker deals around artist image/likeness, which is often the most valuable asset from a game studio’s perspective as it can be easily monetised via skins (character costumes).
Video Game Studios Are Doubling Down on Glocalised Music Collaborations
In Brief: A growing number of video game studios are pursuing glocalised music collaborations on the basis of appealing to specific target markets without alienating their core audience.
PUBG Mobile collaborated with Indonesian artist Bernadya on a new PUBG-themed music video and a Bernadya voice pack. PUBG Mobile has 25.5 million daily active users, 3.5% of which are located in Indonesia, a rapidly growing games market.
League of Legends developer Riot Games is collaborating with Japanese rapper and singer Yuki Chiba for the Valorant Champions Tour (VCT) Pacific music anthem. The VCT is a global esports tournament for Riot’s Valorant game, but the finals is taking place in Japan for the first time.
Riot Games also partnered with South Korean virtual artist Hebi on a new music video promoting the upcoming debut of a new champion (character), Yunara, in League of Legends. South Korea is the biggest market for League of Legends.
EXP: Bigger isn’t always best when it comes to music collaborations in video games. Krafton (PUBG) and Riot Games are shining examples of studios who carefully tailor music collaborations according to the music preferences of specific target markets. That’s not to say they don’t do huge global music activations – Riot and Krafton regularly partner with some of the biggest artists in the world – but there are plenty of smaller and more regionalised collabs that don’t hit English-speaking headlines as they’re not promoted to Western video game publications.
One of my favourite recent examples of successful glocalisation is the collaboration between Tencent’s Honor of Kings and Brazilian DJ, Alok. Honor of Kings was the highest-grossing mobile game in 2024 after netting $1.87 billion, but it was only available in China until 2023. The first market it launched in outside of China was Brazil, and the partnership with Alok was done to make the game more appealing to players in Brazil.
I’d love to see more game developers approaching music collaborations as a user acquisition strategy in specific target markets, especially when they help introduce Western audiences to new international artists they might not be familiar with otherwise.
And in other news…
Music Drive: Chase the Beat! is an upcoming action game with an original soundtrack by Brazilian rapper NP Vocal. [Link]
Woodkid shared his thoughts on what it was like working with Hideo Kojima on music for Death Stranding 2, revealing Kojima made changes to the game after after positive player feedback as he wanted the game to be more decisive. [Link]
Speaking of Death Stranding 2, the game is out now and an official launch party took place in London where CHVRCHES announced their upcoming album and their integration into the game as non-playable characters. [Link]
Jackon Guitars and Blizzard teamed up to gift Malevolence guitarist Konan Hall a custom guitar themed on his World of Warcraft character. [Link]
Bruno Mars joined Fortnite Festival as the Icon for Season Nine. I had a quick look at concurrent player numbers on Fortnite.gg and it’s one of the weakest performances to date for a Festival Icon. Pop star fatigue, perhaps? [Link]
PlayStation: The Concert is heading to the US. Check out dates > [Link]
Bad news for PlayStation VR: Beat Saber developer Oculus Studios has announced its ending support for Beat Saber on the PSVR and PSVR 2 in early 2026. Beat Saber is by far the most popular game on PSVR devices, so this is a big blow for PlayStation. Call me cynical but Oculus Studios is owned by Meta, so this could be a very naughty way of pulling PSVR users into the Meta ecosystem.
Independent publishing house Wired Productions has signed a new partnership with UK indie studio Mad Fellows for its Aaero games. The new Black Razor Edition of Aeero 2 will feature new music from Wired’s in-house music label Black Razor Records. [Link]
Tee Lopes and Streets of Rage composer Yuzo Koshiro have been announced as the new composers for Lizardcube’s upcoming Shinobi game. Koshiro is the original composer from the series’ Sega Mega Drive days. [Link]
And in other Shinobi news, Sega has teamed up with rapper Young Dirty Bastard on new merchandise for the game. [Link]
Guardian columnist Dom Peppiatt has a lovely feature on Street Fighter’s composer Yoko Shimomura following her receipt of the Bafta academy’s fellowship. [Link]
Post Malone will headline the Wsports World Cup Opening Ceremony in Riyadh later this year. [Link]
The VTuber Agency Hololive has teamed up with Brace Yourself Games to bring some of its biggest stars into their game Crypt of the Necrodancer. [Link]
I Write Games Not Tragedies is a visual novel and rhythm game about the life of an unphased emo! [Link]
More video game concerts! There’s a Kingdom Come Deliverance II concert taking place at the O2 Universum in Czech Republic on 17th September and a Persona 5 Big Band concert taking place in Japan later this year. [Link]
A new expansion pack for The Sims 4 includes new music from FKA Twigs, Perfume Genius, Florence Road, Biig Piig, Remy Bond, Saya Gray, Yuno, Mairéad Carlin & Ronan Scolard; and soso radio [Link]
Listen to…
Riot Games celebrated five years of Valorant with a new song and music video featuring Qing Madi. The video introduces Mary Ade, who plays a key role in her sister Phoenix’s story, serving as the game’s first-ever non-playable character. 17 million views in less than a month! [Link]
An updated version of the Stellar Blade soundtrack is now available on DSPs, bringing the grand total of music in the game to over 200 songs! [Link]
Alesso has released a remix of the of the esports world cup 2025 anthem. [Link]
Alok has released a new song, Don’t Mess with the Fire, written as part of his partnership with Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves. [Link]
DEDECO RELEASED A NEW TEKKEN DJ MIX AND IT’S SICK. [Link]