Dying Light 2: Stay Human – Behind the Music

Composed by Olivier Deriviere, the soundtrack for Techland’s zombie survival RPG Dying Light 2: Stay Human has apparently received enough praise following the game’s release to warrant a pretty robust YouTube playlist dedicated entirely to the game’s score and music-related systems.

Here’s the first episode to get you started:

And a press release with some extra info:

Wrocław, Poland — December 15, 2022 — Experience the captivating soundtrack for Dying Light 2 Stay Human up close with Olivier Deriviere, the multi-award winning and BAFTA nominated composer! In these episodic videos, Olivier takes you through his creative process to reveal the intricate and powerful music that brings this highly anticipated game to life.

Music of the City

Olivier’s innovative approach to composing and music design is explored in this dynamic video feature. The collaboration with Techland, culminated in the cooperation with the London Contemporary Orchestra to create an enthralling soundtrack to Villedor’s expansive environment. In further episodes Olivier dives deeper into his process for developing the perfect score for parkour sequences; strategies for enhancing narration with music; and methods for elevating action-packed fight scenes with epic tracks.

“The best part for me was the number of players who got in touch with me directly to express their excitement about the music. They told me about all the emotions that they felt while parkouring, fighting, building the world, and discovering the story. This was all that I could hope for – for players to enjoy and be immersed in the music and feel like it contributed to their gameplay immensely. I am still in awe to have received such positive feedback, more than that I am grateful to Techland for allowing me to explore music in Dying Light 2 like never before.”

In the videos Olivier highlights the new wave of devastation that has swept through the world of Dying Light 2 Stay Human with a unique sound. To create this, he called upon his friend Nicolas Bras, a renowned instrument builder and musician – to construct an electric psaltery. Crafted from solid metal, twisted and bent according to his creative vision – this brand-new instrument was just one of the pieces used to build the game’s captivating score.

“Working with Olivier was a great honor for us, and we are proud to present the results of our collaboration to millions of gamers around the world: the soundtrack for Dying Light 2 Stay Human. Olivier is an outstanding composer and developer who truly understands the potential of video games and what players desire. He has been — and still is — an integral part of our team, lending his skills to design a unique music control system that dynamically reacts to events within the game. The effect of this cooperation is amazing, and it’s no surprise that he is considered the best in the business.”

– Paweł Marchewka, CEO of Techland