At the 67th Grammy Awards, the prestigious Best Score Soundtrack for Video Games and Other Interactive Media category was won by the enchanting soundtrack of "Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord." Composer Winifred Phillips, in her heartfelt acceptance speech, expressed gratitude towards developer Digital Eclipse and the audience, emphasizing the significance of their support in recognizing the importance of music in video games. "Thank you for believing in music for games and recognizing it and for breathing life and enthusiasm and energy into what we do. It means so much," Phillips stated.
"Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord" is a modern 3D remake of the original 1981 "Wizardry" game, which holds the distinction of being the first party-based video game RPG ever released. This seminal title inspired major franchises like Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest. The remake stays true to its roots by being built directly on the original game's code, even allowing players to view the classic Apple 2 interface during gameplay.
Winifred Phillips at the 67th Grammy Awards. Photo by Rich Polk/Billboard via Getty Images.
Phillips clinched the award against formidable competition, including Wilbert Roget, II for Ubisoft’s "Star Wars Outlaws," John Paesano for "Marvel's Spider-Man 2," Bear McCreary for "God of War Ragnarök: Valhalla," and Pinar Toprak for "Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora."
In a subsequent interview, Phillips shared her astonishment at the win, saying, "I really didn’t expect it. The category was populated with so much brilliance this year, and I have so much deep respect for the other nominees in this category. So to have been recognized is just a highlight of my career. It truly is."
Phillips elaborated on the unique nature of composing for video games, stating, "We do a very unique thing. We’re creating music that needs to accompany people who are having an experience and who are making choices, and having adventures and living a grand story, and we’re creating the music for that story. It’s such a wonderful privilege because you feel like you’re collaborating with the players. Like you know them and they know you. It’s really very special."
Previous recipients of this accolade include Stephanie Economou for Ubisoft’s "Assassin's Creed Valhalla," and Stephen Barton and Gordy Haab for Respawn’s "Star Wars Jedi: Survivor." The first video game music to win a Grammy in any category was "Baba Yetu," arranged by Christopher Tin for Firaxis’ "Civilization 4," which triumphed at the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards in 2011 for Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist.
