Journey composer Austin Wintory provides the haunting music of this undersea exploration game.
The first project from Giant Squid Studios is Abzu, a beautiful game of underwater exploration. Matt Nava, the art director behind Journey, founded Giant Squid Studios after leaving Thatgamecompany. Journey composer Austin Wintory joined Nava at the studio, and will be composing the music for Abzu. Abzu will debut exclusively on PlayStation 4.
In Abzu players will explore the depths of the ocean, uncovering secrets and encountering ocean wildlife. The game is inspired by origin myths from many cultures. The name, Abzu, comes from Mesopotamian mythology, connecting the words Ab, meaning ocean, and Zû, meaning to know. This combines to describe an ocean of wisdom.
Composer Austin Wintory earned a Grammy nomination for the Journey soundtrack. It was the first full game soundtrack to be nominated for a Grammy Award. The full score, including a text commentary from Wintory and art from The Art of Journey artbook, has been assembled into an official hour-long YouTube video. Journey was slow to make a profit, but the cult hit co-op title topped game-of-the-year lists for 2012. The 2013 D.I.C.E awards named Journey Game of the Year. Journey took home seven other awards, including Outstanding Achievement in Sound Design.
