Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1524863
88 M PS E . O R G Robert Reeves: Richard, can you tell us about your background and how you got started in game audio? Richard Lapington: I've been in the games industry for quite a few years. Like many people who started at the same time, there wasn't really a known career path. In my twenties, I worked on and off as a musician and studio engineer. This was back at the turn of the millennium when the music industry was struggling, and it didn't seem like a good place to make a living. I have always been interested in games and technology since I was young. It wasn't until I was accepted into a master's program in new media at Taika School of Art in Helsinki, Finland, that I realized game audio could be a good career choice for me. The combination of artistic creation through technology was particularly appealing. Then, like now, I enjoy the complexity and challenge of designing a sonic landscape and building narratives for worlds that are constantly changing and evolving. RR: How did your career evolve from there, and what were some of the key milestones that led you to your current position as audio director at Remedy? RL: This is a difficult question to answer because all your life experiences and choices lead you to where you are now. However, the career moments that stick with me the most are my first AAA job at Midway Games in Newcastle, UK, and when we shipped Quantum Break. Both of these are defining moments for me. As for becoming the audio director at Remedy, it has been a series of lucky coincidences that led me to this point, inside and outside of work life. Along the way, I've had the pleasure of working alongside some very talented people who helped me along this path. RR: Those talents have certainly been recognized lately, with your team earning both a BAFTA and a Golden Reel for Game Dialogue/ ADR from the MPSE. How does it feel to have won this award, and what does it mean to you and your team? RL: The Alan Wake 2 audio team is a phenomenal group of people. The awards and accolades are truly due to their dedication and talent. Before the game was released, we genuinely didn't know how it would be received, not just the audio but the game as a whole. When the first reviews started coming in and they were positive, no one could believe it—it was a total surprise. Winning first the MPSE Award and then the BAFTA was beyond incredible. I was so pleased that Taneli Suoranta was there in LA to pick up the Dialogue Award in person. I think he was the second or third Finn ever to win and definitely, the first in games, so it was a huge deal for him to be there. Speaking on behalf of the team, we are all humbled by the reception Richard Lapington, audio director, with the winning BAFTA trophy for Alan Wake 2. Richard Lapington, surrounded and lifted by his exuberant crew after winning the BAFTA trophy for Alan Wake 2.