Jesper Kyd

Kyd worked across composer. The registers place that work in electronic music. This article rests on 104 catalogued compositions, 74 issued recordings, 3 digitised documents and 36 scholarly references drawn from named institutional registers. Every statement below returns to a source shown in the evidence panel; where the record is silent or divided, the article says so instead of resolving it.

• Birth Name — Jesper Kyd Jakobson • Born — 3 February 1972 • Birthplace — Hørsholm, Denmark • Genre — * Contemporary classical • choral • electronica • ambient • minimal techno • IDM • Occupation — * Composer • sound designer • Years Active — 1986–present • Label — * Sumthing Else • La-La Land

Kyd started playing the piano at an early age. Later, he took several years of training in classical guitar, note reading, choir singing and classical composition for piano. However, he is mostly self-taught.[2][3] Kyd started using computers for composing on a Commodore 64 at age 14,[4] and later an Amiga.[5] He and Mikael Balle became members of the demogroup Silents DK, and later started collaborating with a group of coders known as Crionics.[6] They eventually made the Amiga demoscene production Hardwired.[7] Kyd also created and scored the first wild demo, Global Trash 2, together with Mikael Balle. Kyd then left the demoscene and started to work as a game musician. He and others created the computer game developer Zyrinx and a game called Sub-Terrania for the Sega Genesis. The team then relocated to Boston. Kyd composed music for two additional Zyrinx titles, Red Zone and Scorcher and the music for two externally developed games, Amok and The Adventures of Batman and Robin for the Sega Genesis. Zyrinx dissolved when their game publisher Scavenger went bankrupt.

Many former Zyrinx members returned to Denmark to start IO Interactive, but Kyd moved to New York City and set up his own sound studio in Manhattan called "Nano studios".[8] He then worked as a freelance video game musician. The soundtrack to Hitman: Codename 47 was based on urban soundscapes and ethnic instrumentation. He then recorded the soundtrack of Hitman 2: Silent Assassin with 110 musicians of the Budapest Symphony Orchestra and Hungarian Radio Choir. He recorded the score for the action/adventure Freedom Fighters with the Hungarian Radio choir. It was described by Film Score Monthly Magazine as "Vangelis on steroids". He used modern electronica and symphonic and choral music in Hitman: Contracts. Kyd followed up with Hitman: Blood Money, also performed by the Budapest Symphony Orchestra and Hungarian Radio Choir.[9] Kyd then provided a cinematic middle eastern-based score for Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed. This was followed by the soundtrack for Assassin's Creed II (2009), Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood (2010), and Assassin's Creed: Revelations (2011), the latter in collaboration with Lorne Balfe.[10] Kyd was personally responsible for composing the now-famous "Ezio's Family" for Assassin's Creed II; the track would become the unofficial theme of the Assassin's Creed franchise, being remixed and sampled in every subsequent soundtrack in the franchise. Kyd also wrote music for several games in the Borderlands franchise, as well as the soundtrack for Darksiders II, notable for being his first entirely non-digital score.[11] In 2020, Kyd returned to the Assassin's Creed franchise with Assassin's Creed: Valhalla, alongside Sarah Schachner and Einar Selvik. Kyd composed the soundtrack of Warhammer 40,000: Darktide, which released in 2022. Kyd sought to create a score that would fit a retro-futuristic setting, and avoided using orchestral elements and guitars, which were typically found in other Warhammer games. The score was inspired by "cyberpunk culture and sci-fi manga," with the main instruments including drum machines and modular synths.[12]

Video games • Year — Title — Notes • 1990 — U.S.S. John Young[18] • 1993 — Pro Moves Soccer • Sub-Terrania • 1994 — Red Zone • 1995 — The Adventures of Batman & Robin — Sega Mega Drive/Genesis version • 1996 — Amok • Scorcher • 1999 — Time Tremors • Alien Nations • 2000 — MDK2 — with Albert Olson and Raymond Watts • Messiah • Soldier • Hitman: Codename 47[19] • 2001 — The Nations: Alien Nations 2 • LightWeight Ninja — with Eric Heberling, Speier Music Productions and REMedia • Shattered Galaxy • 2002 — Minority Report: The Video Game • Hitman 2: Silent Assassin • 2003 — Brute Force — with James Hannigan • Freedom Fighters[20] • Wirtschaftsgiganten - Die Ultimative Collection • Prisms of Light 2 • 2004 — McFarlane's Evil Prophecy • Hitman: Contracts • Robotech: Invasion • Dance Dance Revolution Ultramix 2[21] • 2005 — Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory — with Amon Tobin • Dance Dance Revolution STR!KE • 2006 — Hitman: Blood Money • Close Quarters Conflict • 2007 — Kane & Lynch: Dead Men • Assassin's Creed[22] • Unreal Tournament 3 — with Rom Di Prisco • 2008 — The Club — main theme • The Chronicles of Spellborn • 2009 — Borderlands — with Cris Velasco, Sascha Dikiciyan, and Raison Varner • Assassin's Creed II • 2010 — Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood[23] • 2011 — Forza Motorsport 4 • Assassin's Creed: Revelations — with Lorne Balfe • 2012 — Soulcalibur V — with several others • Darksiders II • Transformers: Prime - The Game — with several others • Borderlands 2 — with Cris Velasco, Sascha Dikiciyan, and Raison Varner • 2013 — State of Decay — with Dreissk • Soldiers Inc. • Sparta: War of Empires • 2014 — Pirates: Tides of Fortune • Stormfall: Age of War • Heroes & Generals • Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel! — with Des Shore and Justin Mullins • 2015 — Moonrise — with Jeff Broadbent • Warhammer: End Times - Vermintide • 2016 — Robinson: The Journey[24] • 2017 — MU Legend • Battle Chasers: Nightwar • 2018 — Warhammer: Vermintide 2[25] • State of Decay 2 — with Dreissk • 2019 — Borderlands 3 — with Michael McCann, Finishing Move Inc., Raison Varner • 2020 — Assassin's Creed Valhalla — with Sarah Schachner and Einar Selvik • 2022 — Dune: Spice Wars — with Quentin Malapel • Warhammer 40,000: Darktide • 2026 — Samson • 2027[26] — State of Decay 3 — Development in progress • TBA — No Law — Development in progress • N/A — Wonder Woman — Canceled

• Year — Title • 2009 — The Resistance • 2012-13 — Métal Hurlant Chronicles

• Year — Title • 2004 — G.A.N.G Award for "Best Original Vocal Song – Choral" • Billboard Digital Entertainment Awards nomination for Best Use of Soundtrack • 2006 — MTV's Video Music Awards in the Best Video Game Score category[32]

Jesper Kyd was born on 3 February 1972 in Hørsholm. Kyd held the nationality of Kingdom of Denmark. Kyd worked as composer. Kyd was active from 1986. The fields Kyd worked in include electronic music. Kyd worked in Danish.

• Year — Title • 2000 — Night All Day • 2006 — Sweet Insanity • Death of a Saleswoman • 2007 — La Passion de Jeanne d'Arc (1928, new score) • 2008 — Staunton Hill • 2010 — A Perfect Soldier • 2015 — Chronicles of the Ghostly Tribe • 2018 — Tumbbad • 2025 — Crazxy

• Year — Title • 2000 — Organizm • 2001 — The Lion Tamer • Going with Neill • 2002 — Day Pass • Paper Plane Man • Pure • 2003 — Cycle • 2006 — Impulse • Virus • 2010 — The Auctioneers • 2011 — Somnolence • Assassin's Creed: Embers • 2023 — RAID: Call of the Arbiter[27]