Gareth Coker

Gareth Coker is a British composer. He has composed work for video games, including Ori and the Blind Forest, Ori and the Will of the Wisps, ARK: Survival Evolved, and Halo Infinite.

Gareth Coker
Background information
Born (1984-05-07) May 7, 1984
United Kingdom
Genres
Occupation(s)Composer
Years active2009–present
LabelsMateria Collective
Websitegareth-coker.net

Life and career

Coker learned the piano at a very early age. In school, he joined the orchestra and a jazz band and later studied at the Royal Academy of Music, pursuing a major in musical composition. He traveled and lived abroad in Japan for three years, where he taught English[1] and studied various ethnic instruments.[2] He later moved to Los Angeles, where he juggled between composing for video games and the University of Southern California's film scoring program.[3][4] Coker cites Alan Silvestri's score for Forrest Gump and Star Wars: X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter as inspirations to becoming a composer.[5]

Ori and the Blind Forest

In 2011, Coker composed the accompanying music to the game's prototype after studio director Thomas Mahler had stumbled upon his work. Speaking about the game's musical approach, Coker was given free rein by Moon Studios to experiment with the music and scored the game mainly based on the visuals.[6] He worked with the idea of using instruments that would represent the area. For example, using wood-based percussion instruments for the Ginso Tree area or winds in the Forlorn Ruins. He also worked closely with the game's programmers to balance the pacing and timing of the music. Coker recorded the score at Ocean Way Nashville Recording Studios with the Nashville Studio Orchestra.[7]

The musical score had a positive feedback from critics and fans,[8][9] garnering nominations for several industry awards, including a BAFTA Game Award for Best Music. Kirk Hamilton of Kotaku appreciated the score's orchestral approach, comparing it to the works of Joe Hisaishi on the Studio Ghibli films.[10] Yahoo's Ben Silverman called it "a wonderful score" and recalled how it was akin to the score of Howl’s Moving Castle.[11]

Awards
Work Year Award Note Ref
Ori and the Blind Forest 2015 D.I.C.E. Award for Outstanding Music Composition Won [12]
Golden Joystick Award for Best Audio Won [13]
BAFTA Game Award for Best Music Nominated [14]
HMMA Award for Best Original Score - Video Game Nominated [15]
2016 SXSW Gaming Award for Excellence in Score Won [16]
Ori and the Will of the Wisps 2020 The Game Award for Best Score and Music Nominated [17]
2021 The IFMCA Award for Best Original Score for a Video Game or Interactive Media Nominated [18]
SXSW Gaming Award for Excellence in Score Won [19]
BAFTA Game Award for Best Music Nominated

Works
Video games
Year Title Developer Notes
2011 inMomentum Digital Arrow
2012 Primal Carnage Lukewarm Media
2015 Ori and the Blind Forest Moon Studios
The Mean Greens - Plastic Warfare Code Headquarters
2016 The Unspoken Insomniac Games
Minecraft Mojang Expansion Packs: Chinese Mythology, Egyptian Mythology, Greek Mythology, Norse Mythology, Battle & Tumble, Pirates of the Caribbean
2017 Ark: Survival Evolved Studio Wildcard
2019 Darksiders Genesis Airship Syndicate
2020 Ori and the Will of the Wisps Moon Studios
Dota 2 Valve The International 10 music pack
Immortals Fenyx Rising Ubisoft Quebec
Rushdown Revolt Vortex Games with Alessandro Clemente (a.k.a Aless)
2021 Ruined King: A League of Legends Story Airship Syndicate
Halo Infinite[20] 343 Industries Composed with Curtis Schweitzer and Joel Corelitz
2022 Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope Ubisoft Paris
Ubisoft Milan		 Alongside Grant Kirkhope and Yoko Shimomura
Arknights Hypergryph Dorothy’s Vision,[21] Fire Within the Sand[22] and Mizuki & Caerula Arbor[23] events
2024 Ark II[24] Studio Wildcard
Films and TV
Year Title Notes
2009 Nameless
2010 Unwound
Ellen
You Kill Me
What to Bring to America
The Incident
Laugh and Die
Homeland
George's 40th Birthday
2011 Buried Alive
Dysteria
Upon Release
Cab 57
Waking Up
The Silence Inside Us
I Am Rupert Caldwell
Good Intentions
August's Claim
2012 Call to Arms
All Up to You
Haven's Point
Dog-Eared
2013 Veritasium 1 episode
Rise
Diary of a Teenage Nobody 1 episode
The Plagarist's Game
Billy in Motion
Verax
United Grand Lodge of Queensland Grand Installation
Dark Power
Where the Sky Is Born
2014 Thrilling Contradictions
Rush
2015 Recoil
The Sweet Taste of Redemption
Let Go
2016 Emma's Chance
Mandroid
2017 The Labyrinth
Resistance is Life
Moving Art 1 episode
2018 Level Up Norge 3 episodes
Buoyancy
The Price
2019 Full Moon
The Teleios Act
TBA Ark: The Animated Series

References
  1. Johnson, Odhrán. "404 - With Gareth Coker: Creating Music that Enhances Player Experience". Media.wmv. Retrieved 1 December 2020. {{cite web}}: Cite uses generic title (help)
  2. Parkes, Cassie (26 July 2017). "Interview: Composer Gareth Coker Talks Minecraft, Ori and more". Cultured Vultures. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
  3. "A Conversation with Gareth Coker". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
  4. Butler, Mark (17 October 2017). "How video game music is finally getting the appreciation it deserves". iNews. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
  5. Brinkley, Vance (21 August 2017). "Gareth Coker Is A Name You Should Know In Video Game Music". Bandcamp. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
  6. Dealessandri, Marie (17 July 2019). "The sounds of… Gareth Coker". MCV Develop. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
  7. Wingler, Matt (10 April 2020). "The Emotion Of Sound: Chatting With Ori And The Blind Forest Composer Gareth Coker". The Sixth Axis. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
  8. Gies, Arthur (9 March 2015). "ORI AND THE BLIND FOREST REVIEW: THE PLACES YOU'LL GO". Polygon. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  9. Reparaz, Mikel (10 March 2015). "Ori and The Blind Forest - Review". IGN. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  10. Hamilton, Kirk (1 January 2016). "The Best Video Game Music Of 2015". Kotaku. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
  11. Silverman, Ben (12 March 2015). "Review: Beauty Meets the Beasts in Mesmerizing 'Ori and the Blind Forest'". Yahoo. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
  12. "2016 AWARDS CATEGORY DETAILS". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
  13. Blain, Louise (30 October 2015). "Ori And The Blind Forest wins Best Audio at the Golden Joystick Awards". GamesRadar+. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
  14. "Games - Music in 2016". British Academy Games Awards. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
  15. Feinberg, Scott (10 October 2015). "Hollywood Music in Media Awards: Sam Smith, Lady Gaga, Brian Wilson Among Nominees". Billboard. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
  16. Dornbush, Jonathan. "SXSW Gaming Awards 2016 winners". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  17. "Best Score and Music I Nominees". The Game Awards. Retrieved 20 December 2020.
  18. "IFMCA Award Nominations 2020". IFMCA International: Film Music Critics Association. 4 February 2021. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
  19. Ankers, Adele (21 March 2021). "SXSW Gaming Awards 2021 Winners". IGN. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  20. ""I am happy to announce that I'm scoring @Halo Infinite alongside @cschweitzer"". Twitter. 24 July 2020. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
  21. "綠野幻夢 OST on Apple Music".
  22. "沙中之火 (Original Soundtrack) on Apple Music".
  23. "水月與深藍之樹 (Original Soundtrack) on Apple Music".
  24. "Two very different tracks, both of which you heard in the @survivetheark II trailer shown at @thegameawards . Presented here in full". Twitter. 11 December 2020. Retrieved 20 December 2020.
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