The evolution of gaming music has been a privilege to witness. From my first experiences of chiptune music, from the classic 8-bit music of Super Mario Bros. and Sonic the Hedgehog to modern AAA scores like The Last of Us and even to indie games like Celeste, it’s been a joy to see it evolve.
And yet, despite how important a component music is to video games, it does feel like it can be overlooked or even outright forgotten by a large swathe of the gaming world, so I do my best to bring attention to and celebrate video game music as much as I can. The organisers behind the Game Music Festival agree and, over the years, have held orchestral concerts from many, many game franchises to celebrate the masterful work and magic that goes into these pieces of music.
The festival is run by the Poland-based Game Music Foundation. A small team of people are dedicated to bringing video game music to the forefront by running these orchestral versions of soundtracks, with some including new arrangements. Since 2017, they have been running concerts yearly and have featured games such as Cuphead, Grim Fandango, Balders Gate III and the Final Fantasy series.
Picture: The Royal Festival Hall on the banks of the Thames River.
Moving over from The National Forum of Music in Poland to London in 2022, we’ve been treated to some truly marvellous concerts, with 2026’s offerings being some of the best to date. Held at The Royal Festival Hall and Fairfield Halls, this year’s festival saw Hitoshi Sakimoto visit for a 40th anniversary concert celebrating his career with music from Final Fantasy Tactics, 13 Sentinels: Aegis Realm and Final Fantasy XII.
Other concerts included a special celebration of Diablo’s 30th anniversary that featured a collection of music from all of the games in the series. Persona Grooves commemorated the franchise by featuring music from Persona 3, 4 & 5, with composer Shoji Meguro attending in person to conduct. And finally, Hades and Hades II were celebrated with a show featuring vocal artists Darren Korb, Ashley Barrett, Judy Alice Lee, Erin Yvette, and Colin Ryan. The London Mozart Orchestra was conducted by Austin Wintory, and it promised to be a very special time.
I was lucky to be in attendance for the Hades concert, and it was indeed a special occasion. Featuring new arrangements from the game, we were first treated to music from Hades II with tracks including “Moonlight Guide Us”, “Bewitching Eyes”, and “Time Belongs to Us”. The second half moved over to Hades with tracks including “No Escape”, “River of Flame” and “Good Riddance”. Surprisingly, we were also treated to some pieces from Supergiant Games’ other masterpieces Pyre, Transistor and Bastion.
Picture: The auditorium before the performance.
One aspect that the Game Music Festival concentrates on is to make people get as close to the music as possible. There are no screens, no visuals to distract you. You’re there to watch the orchestra play, soak in the music surrounding you and to lap up the atmosphere as other passionate fans enjoy the music around you. It made for such an unforgettable, intimate experience, one that I was truly thankful to the organisers for making happen.
It was a professionally run event from the organisation to the timing, and the chosen venues are perfectly matched to bring the vision of the organisers to life. My only negative came from the line for the merch table at the end. Snaking around many corners, there must have been hundreds queuing, which I didn’t really fancy for a £19 pin!
One other high point to the event was everyone that came to watch the performance; you could feel the electricity in the air from how hyped everyone was. And kudos to all that came out in cosplay, especially on one of the hottest days of the year. It truly cemented the passion people have for these games and their music.
But don’t just take my word for it – I asked a couple of people from the Supergiant Discord server who attended for their thoughts on the concert. Jenivere, who cosplayed as Hypnos (minus the blanket; it was hot!), had this to say:
“Some of my favourite moments (from the show) were seeing the vocalists on stage. Every one of them looked to be clearly enjoying the performance, as well as putting everything into it with their incredible vocals and their physical aspects as they gestured like the characters. I also loved how the music was arranged with some pieces blending seamlessly into the next, like going on a journey through the games.
All in all, simply unforgettable, and I’m so glad to have shared the experience with so many fellow fans all around.”
Picture: Jenivere in cosplay as Hypnos.
Jenivere hit on a great point there with the vocal artists. It was a great sight to see them on stage and the love and care they put into their performance. It’s not something you see often, and it felt special to be there to witness it.
Audience member Impure Puritan shares the following:
“It was spectacular. I think the thing that stood out to me the most was sitting down and watching the thousands of people filter in. I ended up wondering if they were as big of a fan of the game and the music as me or if they were just fans of orchestras and had happened upon it. Then the huge applause as Darren Korb walked on stage just electrified the atmosphere, and I knew everyone was as excited as me. I’m not above admitting as a grown-ass man that I shed a tear when they performed Setting Sail, Coming Home.”
And finally, Ace0fAllTrades brings their experience of the concert:
“As a fan of Darren Korb’s incredible compositions since Bastion in 2011, it was an experience 15 years in the making! To hear him and Ashley Barrett singing to one another onstage, weaving their voices together, was absolutely mesmerising – and the ‘New Blood’ from Hades 2 delivered some absolutely outstanding performances.
I was outrageously fortunate to get a ticket for the choir seating, and the atmosphere was charged with such wonder and excitement; I couldn’t help but strike up a conversation with the most delightful couple sitting beside me, who were just as awestruck as I was with the orchestra’s flair for bringing to life the music we know and love with such vividness – it was pure magic. We even spoke with some of the musicians afterwards to express our heartfelt thanks, and they kindly let each of us take a piece of their sheet music home as a keepsake!”
I’ve been to many concerts and events that have had special guests, but nothing prepared me for the screams that erupted from the audience when Darren Korb came on stage for the first time. It was incredible, and I have goosebumps even now writing about it. It just showed how much these games and the music have entered people’s hearts, creating such a positive passion and fandom.
All in all, it was such a euphoric experience and well worth the ticket price. The Game Music Festival will be high on my radar for next year, and I will eagerly be awaiting news for next year’s offerings, which may be announced as early as October of this year. So if, like me, you love video game music, maybe keep an eye on the official website or your favourite news outlet, as there may just be a concert coming from one of your favourite games. Mina the Hollower, anyone?
You can keep up to date with the Game Music Foundation by visiting their website
We’d also like to thank Decibel-PR for supplying us with a ticket for the event.
