The opening moments of Sucker Punch Productions’ Ghost of Yōtei are designed to linger. As the protagonist, Atsu, bows before her parents’ grave, her blade catching the pale light, she swears a blood oath of vengeance. But it’s not just the visuals that resonate; it’s the music, which doesn’t simply play, but breathes with the weight of grief and the edge of determination. While the haunting melodies are the work of composer Toma Otowa, the seamless, reactive quality of the score—its ability to swell and sharpen with the player’s every move—is the artistry of Udit Srivathsan.
Srivathsan, a Music Designer at Sony Interactive Entertainment America, represents a new breed of creative professional in the gaming industry. He operates at the intersection of artistic composition and complex software engineering, shaping how players experience the emotional core of these sprawling digital worlds. As video games evolve into immersive, 80-hour epics with budgets comparable to Hollywood blockbusters, the role of the Music Designer has become increasingly vital, often going unnoticed by the player but fundamentally shaping their experience.
Srivathsan’s work on Ghost of Yōtei has recently earned him a nomination for Outstanding Achievement in Music Editing at the 2026 MPSE 73rd Golden Reel Awards. The game, a standalone sequel to 2020’s Ghost of Tsushima, is set in 1603 in Ezo, Japan, and follows Atsu’s quest for revenge against the “Yōtei Six” for the murder of her family sixteen years prior. Released for the PlayStation 5 in October 2025, Ghost of Yōtei has already sold over 3.3 million copies and won “Adventure Game of the Year” at the 29th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards, according to Wikipedia.
The Evolving Role of the Music Designer
For decades, game music functioned much like film scores: a composer created a piece, and it played during specific scenes. But modern open-world games, like Ghost of Yōtei, demand a more dynamic approach. A static soundtrack simply won’t suffice for a game that can take upwards of 80 hours to complete. “Music is pivotal to the gaming experience, especially when they’re narrative-driven,” Srivathsan explains. “As incredible as composers are at capturing themes, there is only so much they can write in the time available. A bulk of the creative heavy lifting is done by music designers who edit, re-arrange, and re-compose for the majority of gameplay.”
Srivathsan’s role extends beyond simply selecting music; he determines how the music behaves. It’s a complex, logic-based puzzle. A player wandering through a snowy forest will experience sparse, atmospheric music. Spotting an enemy camp might subtly increase the tempo. Drawing a sword should trigger a powerful surge of sound, blending the shamisen and guitars without a jarring transition. “Implementation involves setting up the logic that determines when and how music plays or transitions,” he says. “Everything needs to make sense musically, but also sound seamless so that the music supports gameplay in a non-intrusive way.”
A “Spaghetti Western” Aesthetic in Feudal Japan
Ghost of Yōtei’s aesthetic is a deliberate and daring blend of traditional Japanese instrumentation and the stark, lonely atmosphere of a Spaghetti Western. Achieving this balance required Srivathsan to act as a sonic alchemist, carefully blending the percussive pluck of the Shamisen and the melancholic breath of the Shakuhachi with various guitar textures. “Finding a decent balance was important,” Srivathsan notes. “Using guitar types on their own sounded cool, but to suit the narrative, it was always preferred to pair them with something like a Biwa or the Shamisen. In emotional moments, we took a more sparse approach where story beats were hit gently.”
This attention to detail carried over into the game’s “Legends” DLC mode, composed by Chad Cannon based on Otowa’s original themes. The multiplayer mode leans heavily into the supernatural, and Srivathsan helped introduce synth elements and eerie textures to create an otherworldly atmosphere for fighting giants and magical monsters. “Everything from combat music encounter systems to death stingers were remade using these new elements to make Legends stand apart from the main game,” he says.
Collaboration and the Future of Immersive Sound
Srivathsan’s nomination for a Golden Reel Award is a testament to the collaborative spirit of the project, and the “spotting sessions” led by industry veterans like Pete Scaturro, and music design leads Sonia Coronado and Andrew Buresh. “It’s not unlike what film composers do with directors,” Srivathsan explains. “We play through the game week by week to identify places for music to be scored.” He also worked closely with Sucker Punch’s audio director Brad Meyer and sound designer Adam Lidbetter, providing feedback on how the music integrated with the overall soundscape.
Despite the high-tech environment, Srivathsan emphasizes the importance of the human element in the recording process. He often works with high-fidelity recordings from iconic studios like Oceanway in Nashville, and is inspired by the improvisational performances of the musicians. “The score had a great deal of soloist improvisation on the Shamisen, Guitar, and Shakuhachi,” he says. “It’s very inspiring to hear this and even more satisfying to edit using quality recordings and performances.”
Srivathsan’s path to this role began in Singapore, followed by formal training in music composition and audio engineering at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. This dual background allows him to bridge the gap between the artistic and technical aspects of game audio. His resume includes contributions to other major titles like Marvel’s Wolverine, Kena: Scars of Kosmora, Helldivers 2, Destiny 2: Renegades, and MLB The Present 2026. He’s also worked on immersive audio projects, serving as an Upmix Engineer for the MASTERMINDS II Music Kit Box in Dolby Atmos alongside composer Austin Wintory, and as Lead Recording Engineer for Dr. Dark (2025) by The Residents. He’s even contributed to film sound, editing dialogue for a feature film titled Second Chance.
As the gaming industry continues to expand, the demand for specialists like Srivathsan—those who understand both the emotional power of music and the intricacies of game engines—will only increase. He is at the forefront of a shift that blurs the lines between composer, sound designer, and technical specialist. The ultimate measure of success, still, remains invisible to the player: a seamless, immersive experience where the music feels like a natural extension of their own emotions as they navigate the world of Ghost of Yōtei.
“Music is the emotional glue of these massive worlds,” Srivathsan said. “Making sure that glue holds, no matter what the player decides to do, is the ultimate challenge.”
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The MPSE 73rd Golden Reel Awards will be presented on March 8, 2026, recognizing outstanding achievement in sound editing and design for film, television, and gaming. Further details about the awards ceremony can be found on the MPSE website.
