Olivier Deriviere is a French game and movie composer best known for his work on the Obscure and Alone in the Dark series.

We caught up with Olivier to talk a bit about his career and his role when it comes to creating games.

Horror News Network: How did you get started composing for video games?

Olivier Deriviere: I’ve always wanted to create games and when I was about 15, I started collaborating with artists and programmers to start a development team. We ended up with only one level of our shoot-‘em-up though I had already composed for every level. I learned a lot about composing music for games which is one of the most underestimated components of a game production.

Horror News Network: You've worked in different gaming genres, do you feel music plays a bigger role in survival horror games compared to others like racing games for example?

Olivier Deriviere: It depends on the project. Take Mario Kart, for example. The music is very much a part of the gameplay: as you pick items it switches from one cue to another. The music supports a lot the action; it helps you to understand what item you have picked. Also, in the final lap, the music speed increases and adds a lot of excitement! However I admit that it is more interesting to me to work on a story-based game but I also like making music for other genres.

Horror News Network: Do you feel games can be considered art?

Olivier Deriviere: I think the words “video games” are just too limited. Most games are just like sport - even if they have a story since they’re mainly based on reflexes, scores and rankings. I think this is because the people who make games are quite young… and I am young! This industry lacks maturity. To have better games we have to get more experience but also a wider range of approach. Generally, I do not talk about video games as Art… Yet!

Horror News Network: You’re best known for games like Alone in the Dark and Obscure, what other games do you think do a good job of making the musical score add to the suspense?

Olivier Deriviere: Suspense is quite easy to create with music… as long as the game rhythm is well-executed. I’d say great musical scores for games are the ones that extend the game experience. Many games have done a great job with music for each generation (starting with the Atari ST/Amiga 500); lately I think Splinter Cell Conviction was very interesting. I was surprised. They did a great job with music and the entire game as well.

Horror News Network: What's your own process for developing a game's musical score? Do you focus more on the story or the gameplay?

Olivier Deriviere: This is a great question!!! Music for games plays two roles and neither one of them is less important than the other. As I mentioned earlier, you have to combine great composition with great implementation. This needs technical knowledge on many levels. What I do need when I start composing for a game is the creative director’s vision. I try to find what music would best support it. Then I talk a lot with the audio director to understand what are the possibilities and limitations for implementation. To me, composers for games should be as much involved in implementation as the actual composition. This is the key for a great game soundtrack.

Horror News Network: Do you consider yourself a gamer?

Olivier Deriviere: I don’t. I consider myself a hard core gamer!

Horror News Network: What are you currently working on?

Olivier Deriviere: I’ve just finished a project for Disney that is far away from horror music and I’m starting (what I hope) will be my best soundtrack for a game (so far…)

Horror News Network: Where can our readers find out more about you?

Olivier Deriviere: They can visit my personal website: www.olivierderiviere.com
company website: www.ameoprod.com and find me on Facebook.

Thank you for your interest!

Horror News Network: Thank you for your time Olivier! Comment on this interview here or on our forum.