Martin O’Donnell co-founds new development studio

In a new interview, Halo and Destiny composer Martin O’Donnell has revealed his latest move since he was shockingly dismissed from Bungie last year. The composer has co-founded the video game development company Highwire Games with two fellow industry veterans: veteran Bungie gameplay designer Jaime Griesemer and Airtight Games founder Jared Noftle.

While details Highwire’s first project have yet to be announced, O’Donnell promises it will be strongly narratively-driven. The composer aims to make “you care about the characters in the game in a really intimate way, as much as you care about any really powerful story that you’ve ever read or played or played a game.” He notes that ” we really feel an emotional connection is the most powerful thing a game can provide”.

O’Donnell elaborated that he is excited about being involved in all aspects of video game design, not just sound direction, for the first time in his career. He notes: “Doing music for someone else and only doing music is maybe not as impactful on the game as I would like it to be. And my vision as an audio director is intimately involved with the design and the creative direction of the game.”

Posted on June 19, 2015 by Chris Greening. Last modified on June 19, 2015.

Tags: Bungie, Martin O'Donnell

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Chris Greening I've contributed to websites related to game audio since 2002. In this time, I've reviewed over a thousand albums and interviewed hundreds of musicians across the world. As the founder and webmaster of VGMO -Video Game Music Online-, I hope to create a cutting-edge, journalistic resource for all those soundtrack enthusiasts out there. In the process, I would love to further cultivate my passion for music, writing, and generally building things. Please enjoy the site and don't hesitate to say hello!