MUSIC DESIGN: A SECRET SONIC WEAPON By Elliot Callighan, CEO, Unlock Audio P
lace yourself for a moment in the chair of a longtime “Diablo IV” gamer on the release day of the new “Lord of Hatred” expansion. You already have some idea of what to expect in
terms of new campaign content, a new map region, and two new classes of character to play. As you begin to explore the overworld and dungeons throughout
the isles Skovos, you begin to realize the music that underscores your adventure exhibits extreme nuance tied not only to a change in your environments but also to your real-time performance, furthering your immersion in the game, play by play. This reactive music system — implemented by Activision Blizzard for the first time on this scale in a Diablo game — was achieved through the power of music design. The music systems in “Diablo IV: Lord of Hatred” were designed by
veteran music designer and composer Seth Wright. Seth also directed music systems for Meta’s “Iron Man VR” and The Game Awards’ Best VR Game of 2024, “Batman: Arkham Shadow.” Now, Seth leads Unlock Audio’s music design services as a collaborating member of our Augment & Amplify studio. For developers who aspire to similarly transform their creative workflows, technical architecture and gameplay, Seth offers this
introductory perspective into the value of music design and extends an invitation for a complimentary music design consultation through Unlock Audio.
WHAT IS MUSIC DESIGN Music designers thrive at the nexus of composers, technical sound designers and audio directors. While this niche expertise often overlaps with these common collaborators, the role is far from redundant. “Music designers are adept translators between production studios
and composition teams,” explains Seth. “We’re advocates for ensuring both composers and developers feel honored in how their creative vision is met.” The value of clearer direction between composers and technical
sound designers can have a huge impact for the development of games of any scale or genre. For this reason, Unlock Audio houses our music design discipline within our Augment & Amplify studio, ready to independently plug and play into in-house audio departments or through collaboration across any of our six style-driven, specialty sound studios.
WHY HIRE A MUSIC DESIGNER If a developer already has a composer, technical sound designers, and an audio director on board, why might they want to add a music designer into the mix? From Seth’s point of view, a primary reason to employ music design is to achieve more efficiency between music creation and implementation. “Music design is a cost-saving measure,” Seth proclaims. “A good
music designer dramatically decreases the need for rewrites and the need for large amounts of looped content. Producers are happy because projects ship on time and are managed well. And gamers are happy because the music they experience elevates the overall product we are making.”
48 | MCV/DEVELOP September/October 2026
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