Dying Light 2 Stay Human
Added on Friday, October 22, 2021 Posted by Philippe Mouchon
BAFTA-nominated French composer Olivier Derivière (A Plague Tale: Innocence, Streets of Rage 4, Remember Me) scores his most ambitious soundtrack yet in Dying Light 2 Stay Human, the sequel to the best-selling open-world action game. Renowned for his distinctive and dynamic soundtracks recognized by Billboard, Classic FM, MTV and The New York Times, Derivière commissioned A-list avant-garde musicians and custom-built instrumentation to bring a unique, emotional soundscape to the game’s deep story and visceral world infected by a viral outbreak.
BAFTA-nominated French composer Olivier Derivière (A Plague Tale: Innocence, Streets of Rage 4, Remember Me) scores his most ambitious soundtrack yet in Dying Light 2 Stay Human, the sequel to the best-selling open-world action game. Renowned for his distinctive and dynamic soundtracks recognized by Billboard, Classic FM, MTV and The New York Times, Derivière commissioned A-list avant-garde musicians and custom-built instrumentation to bring a unique, emotional soundscape to the game’s deep story and visceral world infected by a viral outbreak.
Dying Light 2 Stay Human, published by Techland, launches February 4th 2022 on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.
As composer and music designer for Dying Light 2, Derivière sought to portray the game’s realistic themes of devastation, loss and isolation from a viral outbreak, human civilization’s fight for survival, and hope through unity, by way of a dual textured compositional approach. In his pursuit of unorthodox sounds, Derivière commissioned the London Contemporary Orchestra, one of the world’s leading innovative and respected avant-garde music ensembles, and recorded at Abbey Road Studios with three-time GRAMMY® award-winning score engineer John Kurlander.
During their collaborative process, Derivière captured the experimental articulations of the orchestra to enhance the emotional narrative, while his rhythmic electronic synth soundtrack is steered by the strings of a bespoke electric psaltery instrument blended into the score and manipulated to evoke the gritty, lonely landscape and cold, corrupted state of the world’s seemingly hopeless future.
“Dying Light 2 is by far my most ambitious game music project to date. It has been an amazing journey working with Techland on creating the unique soundscape of the game and pushing boundaries for open-world music design. During this process, collaborating with the London Contemporary Orchestra and recording their unique sound was a great honor, and with the addition of a custom-built instrument - the Electric Psaltery - I believe players will experience a musical in-game journey they won’t forget.”
- Olivier Derivière, Composer -
“Dying Light 2 Stay Human is very dynamic, and gameplay is an incredibly important part of the game. But we cannot forget the impact the soundtrack has on creating in-game atmosphere. That’s why we’ve been working with Olivier to combine these two elements, so that our music won’t just be a background, but rather a companion alongside which the player will explore The City. It supports narrative by generating nostalgia in certain moments, encourages bravery in battles by adding to the adrenaline with the right tunes, and energizes the player, pushing them to try harder as they parkour through the roofs. This close collaboration between us has led to the sound developing in line with our artistic vision of what we're going to see on the screen and blending in with it perfectly. It was an ambitious project, yes, but we had a lot of fun, and seeing the end result has definitely made it worth the effort.”
- Adrian Ciszewski, Creative Director -
Dying Light 2 brings to life a unique post-apocalyptic vision of the Modern Dark Ages - a deep, dark and unforgiving reality where a fallen humanity makes first steps on its way to rebuilding civilization. Make ambiguous decisions and witness how they impact the world and transform the shape of The City, and ultimately decide its fate.
About Olivier Derivière
Hailed by MTV as “Game music’s eclectic daredevil,” BAFTA nominated composer Olivier Derivière (‘Get Even’, ‘Remember Me’, ‘Assassin's Creed IV - Freedom Cry’) has scored award-winning music for animation, films and video games and is widely acclaimed for both his sophisticated composition and innovative approaches to connecting music with gameplay. Derivière is driven by his passion to provide players with a unique musical experience that truly reflects each game, both musically and directly in sync with the gameplay itself. Classically trained Derivière often blends traditional musical elements with unorthodox sound techniques in pursuit of creating an authentic score that fully immerses the player in the gameplay and story through his neo-classical music styles. Recording with the world’s top orchestras and A-list musicians, including the Philharmonia Orchestra at Abbey Road and Air Studios, GRAMMY® award-winning choir Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares, Boston Symphony Orchestra and The Children’s Choir of the National Opera of Paris, Derivière’s pioneering soundtracks have been nominated by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts and honored by the International Film Music Critics Association.
About Dying Light 2 Stay Human
Dying Light 2 Stay Human is a story-driven open-world action role-playing game, a sequel to the critically acclaimed Dying Light published in 2015, which has been played by over twenty million people all over the world. This time players are visiting the City – mankind's last stronghold in the fight against the virus. Developed parkour mechanics enable players to explore the vast open world and master tactical combat. This lost civilization, a world set in the modern dark ages, requires creative approaches to finding items and crafting gear. Gameplay shifts during a day and night cycle, so players can dare to plunder abandoned lairs of infected at night and discover the dark secrets of those in power by the day. Players must choose which side they want to take and write their own story.
Dying Light 2 Stay Human, published by Techland, launches February 4th 2022 on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.
( - Greg O'Connor-Read * Top Dollar PR - )
More info at: Official Web Site Techland