This isn’t the first time that a video game soundtrack has been nominated for a Grammy award, but the forthcoming 65th Annual Grammy Awards will be the first to actually include a video game category, though the nominees might give you a few moments of pause.
With the games industry constantly breaking new records and taking the center stage in the entertainment world, the Grammys have decided to acknowledge the talent of some of the most renowned composers who work on these titles. And so, for the first time in history, February’s award ceremony will feature a Best Score Soundtrack for Video Games and Other Interactive Media category. Here is the official list of nominees:
- Austin Wintory for Aliens: Fireteam Elite
- Bear McCreary for Call of Duty: Vanguard
- Christopher Tin for Old World
- Richard Jacques for Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy
- Stephanie Economou for Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: Dawn of Ragnarök
You might find it odd that many prominent titles from 2022, like Elden Ring, Horizon Forbidden West, or even God of War Ragnarök, didn’t make the cut. The eligibility period for the upcoming period was Oct. 1, 2021, to Sept. 30, 2022, so they could be in the running next year.
The Grammys will certainly be inclined to keep this category alive for at least a little while, so those games will also get their moment in the sun during next year’s ceremony. As for the actual nominees, all of these names deserve the recognition and more, so it’ll be interesting to see who will end up bagging the trophy at the end of the night.
The 65th Annual Grammy Awards is scheduled to take place on Feb. 5, 2023. Here’s the full list of nominations for this year, with Beyonce leading the show in nine categories.