How to brief a composer for your game

Music in a game does a lot of quiet work. It tells players where they are, how worried they should be and when something has changed, often without them noticing. A good brief helps a composer get there faster. It does not need to be long or technical, and you don't need to know any music theory to write one.

Here is what we find most useful when a team first gets in touch.

1. Tell us what the game feels like

Genre and art style help, but the most useful thing is the feeling you want players to have. Lonely? Tense? Cosy? Heroic, but a bit tongue-in-cheek? A few words about the mood of the world, and how it changes from the start of the game to the end, are worth more than a list of instruments.

2. Share references, and say what you like about them

Two or three pieces of music, games or films are plenty. One line next to each makes them far more useful: "the way this one builds slowly", "this kind of percussion", "we like how quiet this exploration music is". If there is something you definitely don't want, say that too. It saves a lot of guessing.

3. Show us the game, even if it's rough

Gameplay footage, a playable build, concept art or a short video of a level are all great. Music written while looking at the actual game fits much better than music written from a description. A rough build is completely fine; we know it will change.

4. Make a simple list of what you need

You don't need a final list, just a first draft. For example:

• Main theme for the menu and the trailer
• Exploration music for each area or level
• Combat or tension music
• Short pieces (stingers) for wins, losses, discoveries and level-ups
• Cutscenes, if there are any, with rough lengths

This helps us both understand the size of the job and plan the schedule.

5. Think about how the music should react

Many games use music that changes with what the player does. Two common approaches are layers that fade in and out as the action builds (often called vertical layering), and sections that switch from one to the next when something happens (horizontal resequencing). You don't need to choose a technique. Just tell us the moments where the music should change, such as entering a fight, being spotted or reaching a boss, and we will suggest how to build it so it is simple for your team to put into the game.

It also helps to know which engine you are using and whether you work with an audio tool alongside it, so we can deliver files in a way that slots straight in.

6. Share your dates

Tell us about the moments that matter: a demo, a festival, a store page trailer, a publisher pitch, launch. Music is often needed earlier than people expect, because a trailer or a demo is usually the first time players hear your game.

7. Agree on rights early

Decide together how the music will be used: in the game, in trailers and marketing, and maybe one day on a soundtrack album. Putting this in writing at the start keeps things simple later.

A short brief you can copy

• The game: a few sentences about what it is and who it's for
• The feeling: how players should feel, and how that changes over the game
• References: two or three, with a line each (plus one you don't want)
• What we can show: footage, a build, art
• First list of music: theme, areas, combat, stingers, cutscenes
• How it reacts: the moments where the music should change
• Engine and tools: what you build with
• Dates: demo, trailer, launch
• Budget range: so we can suggest how to make the most of it

You don't need every answer before writing to us. Working them out together is part of the job, and honestly one of the best parts.