‘Gears Of War 4’ Adds ‘Game Of Thrones’ Composer, New Video Reveals Motorcycle Chase


There’s not much in common between Gears of War 4 and Game of Thrones. The upcoming Xbox One third-person shooter and HBO television series will share one thing, however, as Grammy and Emmy Award-nominated composer Ramin Djawadi moves from swords and sorcery to rifles with chainsaws.

Microsoft and developer The Coalition revealed Djawadi as the composer in a behind the scenes video released to YouTube Friday. In addition to showing the music being put together, the video also revealed some key scenes and gameplay from the Gears of War 4 campaign such as a motorcycle chase.

“Obviously, I wanted to make it very different from Game of Thrones,” Djawadi said in an AP interview. “Whenever I approach a new project, I want to make sure I’m setting up a new sound — even through we’re still using a lot of orchestra and percussion.”

Djawadi is using a four-note theme as the basis of the Gears of War 4 soundtrack. This broadens out to different variations based on the scene and those involved. For example, scenes with the COG have an electronica undertone thanks to the addition of the robotic DeeBees. Meanwhile, the Swarm’s has a darker current to it. There are quieter moments too like those moments between JD and his father, Marcus Fenix.

“There are some really nice scenes that are probably unexpected for ‘Gears,’ where we’re really pushing the emotional undertones with strings,” Djawadi explained.

This isn’t the composer’s first time creating music for a video game. Djawadi cut his teeth as a sound technician at Looking Glass Studio in the 1990s working on classic titles like System Shock and Thief. His career has grown since then to include films like Pacific Rim, Iron Man, and Warcraft as well as some of the stirring music in Game of Thrones episodes like “Battle of the Bastards.” His upcoming work includes HBO’s Westworld and The Great Wall starring Matt Damon.

The behind the scenes video reveals more than just musical work that went into Gears of War 4. There are also new scenes that continue to point towards the campaign’s plot and a confirmation of a motorcycle chase scene.

Some scenes show a flashback to Dom and Colonel Hoffman. It’s not clear how this fits in with the plot of Gears of War 4, which jumps 20-something years into the future from the Gears of War 3. What is known is JD Fenix and Del have a falling out with the COG results in their splitting from what is left of Sera’s government. This leads to JD finding his father and attempting to reunite, heal old wounds, and seek help with dealing with the Swarm and the COG.

The action in the video is punctuated by quick cuts of the motorcycle chase scene. The ride was previously hinted at with the Gears of War 4 Collector’s Edition that features an 11-inch statue of JD Fenix riding the new vehicle.

The Gears of War series has always broken up the third-person shooter elements with one or more vehicle sections. Sometimes they’ve been well-received, sometimes not. It should be interesting to see how the motorcycle sections turns out for Gears of War 4.

Gears of War 4 is due out October 11 for the Xbox One and Windows 10 PCs. The title is part of Microsoft’s new Play Anywhere program where a digital purchase from the Xbox Store and Windows Store comes with a copy of Gears of War 4 for both platforms. It also supports cross-saves and cross-play between platforms for The Coalition’s title.

The Xbox Play Anywhere initiative went live in a recent console update and the Windows 10 Anniversary update. ReCore will be the first title out on September 13, followed by Forza Horizon 3 on September 27, and then Gears of War 4.

What do you think of the Gears of War 4 soundtrack so far and the confirmation of a motorcycle chase scene? Sound off in the comments below.

[Image via Microsoft]

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