Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1436283
74 I m ps e . o rg that is specifi c to our storytelling process, then it's ultimately better. It's not always possible, but we defi nitely encourage it. Even outside of those big recordings, there are micro recordings that go on daily. Daily. EM: One final question for you all. Naughty Dog has been around for over 25 years. In that time, game audio has changed so much. How do you all see interactive audio changing over the next five to 10 years? BS: Well, I took a break. I went out of the industry for about fi ve years, and during that period, it was evolving at breakneck speed. So coming back has been very interesting. I had to learn Unreal and Blueprints and Wwise all at once. It's weird because things that we did that I thought were a little innovative at the time, they're now really quaint and commonplace. The tools that we worked so hard to create—the current tools and platforms—off er everything we did and way more out of the box. It's weird to see how much the whole industry has changed. In terms of the features and actual content, the other thing that blows my mind is there's a whole new generation of game sound folk who are starting their careers with tremendous amounts of knowledge and skill. Maybe some of it is from these schools that have an audio curriculum, but a lot of cumulative knowledge and wisdom is all up on YouTube now. Lots of them grew up in this; they're really focused on it, and they know way more than I do. It's pretty sobering. Game sound is only gonna evolve and get better and better. PK: I agree with that wholeheartedly. Going from Naughty Dog back to Sony changed my lens a little bit. At Naughty Dog, we were very lucky that Mark Cerny's offi ce was there. We had this backseat into what was going to become the PlayStation 5, and actually had some level of influence on where it might be going. It all stems back to Bruce's aesthetic and his work ethic. If it wasn't for his and Jonathan's vision for where we were headed, I don't think Naughty Dog would have been as recognized for leading a charge over the last generation or two, and where we are going. For me, it's not necessarily the technology or the crafts, because those are going to keep improving. It's the collaborative eff orts of people at the platform and the studio level engaging in what is good sound, and how can we aff ect people with audio as much as we do with visuals. Visuals are just insane now. Mark had this really great foresight to say, "Visuals have had their time. What about audio?" So all these systems that we're building with the PlayStation 5, it's been very, very interesting to see how the studios have worked together. Now we've got this awesome, collaborative work group of people at PlayStation, where Naughty Dog, Guerrilla Games, Sucker Punch, and all these other teams are all working together to say, "Where can we take it next? How can we improve this?" We're able to talk to people at an R&D level and shape what game audio can be. I'm very, very lucky to have a seat at that table. Thank you Bruce for that. BS: Mark is an unqualifi ed genius. RK: In terms of audio evolution, the biggest boon that I can conceptualize is the homogeneity of the tools to the point where they melt away and are unimportant, and the creativity of the people making the content is the most important thing. One great thing about linear is, by and large, the tools are set and people's creativity can be unleashed. In interactive audio, we still fi ght with the tools; they are not always fully featured to do what we want to do. We are getting there as Bruce pointed out. We have a lot of what we need, but we're not quite there yet. Once we get there, and I do think that's achievable in the next few years, it becomes less about the technology and more about the creative, which is ultimately better for us as an art form. EM: This has been such a treat. It's amazing to hear your stories about how Naughty Dog came to be and where it is now. You've been game changers in interactive entertainment for so many years, and we really appreciate all of your eff orts. BS: Thank you. I'm really pleased that you had us. For me, it's not necessarily the technology or the crafts, because those are going to keep improving. It's the collaborative e' orts of people at the platform and the studio level engaging in what is good sound, and how can we a' ect people with audio as much as we do with visuals. –PHILLIP KOVATS