GDC 2025 Session Viewer
Empathy and Horror: Creature Audio of 'Still Wakes the Deep'
Daan Hendriks (Audio Director, The Chinese Room)
Francesco Del Pia (Senior Sound Designer, The Chinese Room)
Pass Type: All Access Pass, Core Pass, Audio Pass - Get your pass now!
Track: Audio
Format: Lecture
Vault Recording: TBD
Audience Level: All
It is 1975, you work on an offshore oil rig when disaster strikes. A supernatural entity that has accidentally been drilled up is transforming the rig, turning your co-workers into horrible creatures that are struggling in agony, while the rig is slowly collapsing into the North Sea.
This premise where your main antagonists are twisted versions of your former friends and colleagues provided an interesting juxtaposition for the audio team, where through sound we had to convey their lost humanity and the fears they faced, as well as inspiring fear and terror into the player themself.
In this talk we'll explore in-depth how we took this from concept to release. We'll look at the mistakes we made, as well as the successes we found, and lift the veil on the systems that underpin it all.
Takeaway
Attendees will come away with an appreciation for how even with a clear vision for what you want to achieve, the road ahead is full of twists and turns. Iteration, technical development and learning from mistakes are all required to do what is ultimately right for the game.
Intended Audience
This talk is primarily aimed at game audio professionals due to its detailed look into how the creature audio was created and implemented for this game. But it could also be of interest to narrative and game designers, as well as anybody with an affinity for sound.
