Olivier Derivière, a renowned French video game composer, blends music and interactivity to create immersive soundtracks, with his latest project being the expansive South of Midnight. A passionate gamer since childhood, he has worked on major titles like A Plague Tale and Assassin's Creed, while also expanding into film music.
Since the age of 6, Olivier Derivière has never left the world of video games, a passion that has led him to become one of the most prominent composers of video game music. At 46, this French musician works tirelessly, game controller in hand and sheet music in front of him, to provide players with a unique sonic experience. Scheduled for release on April 8, his latest project, the soundtrack for South of Midnight, the upcoming adventure game by Canadian studio Compulsion Games, will be the largest production of his career, with a composition that spans seven hours of music, the result of over a hundred recording sessions held in Nashville, London, and his Paris studio.
Born in Nice to a family where music was omnipresent, Olivier Derivière grew up immersed in the melodies of U2 and Pink Floyd, bands introduced to him by his father. While his friends listened to French songs, he escaped into the musical universe of rock. However, it was at the age of 5 that another passion quickly took hold: video games. His encounter with the Commodore 64, an iconic 80s console, was a true revelation. “The day I saw the Commodore 64 move a pixel, it was a revolution in my brain,” he confides. This technological discovery would mark the beginning of his immersion in the gaming world.
After earning a scientific baccalaureate, Olivier Derivière pursued studies that combined both computer science and music, before flying to Boston. There, he was awarded a scholarship to study at the prestigious Berklee College of Music, where he met the legendary John Williams, composer of soundtracks for Steven Spielberg's films and the Star Wars saga. The spark was immediate, and Williams became a role model for him. Their friendship, along with the lessons in patience that he learned, would deeply influence his approach to composition.
Back in France, he took his first steps in video game music in 2004 with Obscure, a horror game developed by a small studio in northern France. From there, his career took off, and he composed for around twenty titles, notably for studios like Asobo (with A Plague Tale), Don't Nod (with Remember Me), and Ubisoft (for the Assassin's Creed franchise). Today, he runs a 300 m² studio in the suburbs of Paris, where he oversees his projects while remaining a passionate gamer. “I’ve always played, I’ve never stopped,” he says with a smile.
Olivier Derivière stands out for his unique working method, which he sums up as: create a score, then integrate it into the game based on the player's interactions. This approach places him far beyond that of a mere composer. The player's experience and interactivity are at the core of his creative process. For South of Midnight, he has composed an immersive music that evolves with the actions of the heroine and encounters with mythological creatures, supported by a choir of young girls.
His approach, however, is not limited to video games. In 2023, he signed the soundtrack for the film Gueules Noires and composed for an episode of Star Wars: Visions, proving that he can broaden his horizons while staying true to the world of video games. But it is indeed video games that remain his “true unique experience.” “Video games, in terms of artistic offering, are gigantic,” he emphasizes, adding, “We need to bring players new experiences.”
With AFP
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