Chivalry 2 Composer Explains His Composition Process

For those that may not recognize the name, J. D. Spears is the composer for the upcoming Chivalry 2. Although this is his biggest project as of yet, players may have unwittingly heard his music before in various movie and television spots. He also has a big following on his YouTube channel, where he creates orchestral covers, original music, and more. Spears got his big break into the video game industry with Chivalry 2, and one listen to the soundtrack makes it easy to see his prowess. As players dig into Chivalry 2 when it finally releases in June, they’ll become familiar with Spears’ music.

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When asked about how much of the game Spears had a chance to see or play before making his compositions, he revealed that was sent a nearly endless stream of concept art and gameplay footage during his time composing. He even had access to the latest build of the game at any given time, allowing him to play it and get a feel for what kind of music should accompany it. This influenced his compositions heavily, as the quote above discusses.

In Chivalry 2, the music needs to complement the battle, but add too much percussion for example and the music and sound effects will clash. This is why many of the tracks in Chivalry 2 instead feature expressive melodies.

There were also certain challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, as it seems that even video game composers aren’t free from workplace disruption caused by it. Spears explains that he had just went to visit his in-laws before the lockdown started, meaning he had to write two pieces without access to his main setup. Listening to the soundtrack of the game, there’s no way a player would be able to tell that this was the case. Despite these challenges and the fact that Spears is relatively new to the video game composition scene, players will have no trouble getting engrossed in its gorgeous soundtrack.

Chivalry 2 releases on June 8th for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.

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