Austin Wintory

• Name — Austin Wintory • Born — 9 September 1984 • Birthplace — Denver, Colorado, U.S. • Genre — classical rock, electronic rock • Occupation — Composer, conductor • Years Active — 2002–present

Austin Wintory was born in Denver, Colorado in 1984 and started learning piano when he was ten years old, after his teacher introduced him to composer Jerry Goldsmith. Before the age of ten, Wintory did not play any instruments and barely listened to music. By the age of sixteen, Wintory started writing for and conducting the Cherry Creek High School Orchestra during their performances of the "Spirit of the Cosmos" pieces. Two years later, at the age of eighteen, Wintory conducted the Utah Symphony during its recording of "Cosmos", which became one of his most popular projects, although he refers to it as "atrocious garbage". Since 2003, Wintory has composed over three hundred musical scores.

Wintory met Jenova Chen while both attended the University of Southern California (USC). After networking with an interactive media student at USC and scoring a small game project, his name was passed along to Chen, who asked Wintory to score his thesis project, Flow, later re-released on PlayStation Network. Wintory, Chen and Nick Clarke developed the first version of Flow as a three-man team, with Wintory remarking that Chen had an incredible way of processing information, seeing far beyond code and reaching into the emotional implications of things. As a traditional orchestral student at the time, Wintory considered the music of Flow was radically unlike any he had written before. Wintory regards the pink area of the game, where the player controls a jellyfish-like creature, as the humorous area of the game, describing his music for it as almost "circus-like" compared to the overall soundtrack.

Originally, Monaco developer Andy Schatz sought out licensed music as a backdrop to the game's setting, feeling that the style of music needed was too esoteric to hire a composer. Wintory, however, was able to convince Schatz that he could create an original score that fit the project's vision. Likening 2D sprite-based games to the silent film era, Wintory agreed with the notion that the soundtrack to a game like Monaco should have an earnest yet self-aware nostalgic feeling, stating "There's no way to just objectively listen to that style of music without automatically being like 'This reminds me of a bygone era.'" Wintory was excited at the chance to create an old-timey score with wit and humor, stating "when else am I ever going to be asked to write anything remotely like this?"

Wintory will compose the music and conduct a live orchestra for a touring BAFTA Games in Concert, to start in 2026 and featuring music from winners of the British Academy Games Awards.

• Year — Game — Developer • 2002 — Ages of Athiria (Theme Only) — Elysian Productions • 2006 — Flow — Thatgamecompany • 2007 — Flow Expansion Pack — Thatgamecompany, Super Villain Studios • GroundTruth: Toxic City — Sandia Nat’l Lab, USC-Gamepipe • Replay — Take Action Games • 2008 — GroundTruth 2: Lock Down — Sandia Nat’l Lab, USC-Gamepipe • My Virtual Tutor — 1st Playable Productions • 2010 — Census — Draft FCB • Super Awesome Mountain RPG — Codename Games • 2012 — Journey — Thatgamecompany • Horn — Phosphor Games • Kinect Party — Double Fine Productions • 2013 — Monaco: What's Yours Is Mine — Pocketwatch Games • Leisure Suit Larry: Reloaded — N-Fusion Interactive • Dropchord — Double Fine Productions • 2014 — Soul Fjord — Airtight Games • Sunset — Tale of Tales • The Banner Saga — Stoic • 2015 — The Order: 1886 (co-writer of The Knights theme, with Jason Graves) — Ready at Dawn, Santa Monica Studio • Assassin's Creed Syndicate — Ubisoft Quebec • The Path to Luma — Phosphor Games • 2016 — The Banner Saga 2 — Stoic • Abzû — Giant Squid Studios • 2017 — Deformers — Ready at Dawn • Absolver — Sloclap • Tooth and Tail — Pocketwatch Games • Luna — Funomena • 2018 — Pode — Henchman & Goon • The Banner Saga 3 — Stoic • Command and Conquer: Rivals — Electronic Arts • 2019 — Erica — Flavourworks, London Studio • John Wick Hex — Bithell Games • The Bradwell Conspiracy — A Brave Plan, Bossa Studios • 2020 — The Pathless — Giant Squid • AGOS: A Game of Space — Ubisoft • 2021 — Aliens: Fireteam Elite — Cold Iron Studios • 2022 — Monaco 2 — Pocketwatch Games • HUSH - Crane — Flavourworks • 2023 — Strayed Lights — Embers • Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical — Summerfall Studios • 2024 — BitCraft (Co-composed with Rachel Hardy) — Clockwork Labs • 2025 — Eternal Strands — Yellow Brick Games • Sword of the Sea — Giant Squid • Hades II (with co-composer Darren Korb) — Supergiant Games

Austin Wintory is recorded as a citizen of United States. Classed in the genre video game music. Recorded with the occupation composer.