First of all, here’s a confession: I’m a huge space and sci-fi nerd, devouring all books and films in my path from a young age, from the big masterpieces of sci-fi to the lowest form of galactic pulp, and everything in between.

So when the opportunity to work on some trailers with the cinematics team at Fenris Creations (formerly known as CCP Games) arose, I was only too happy to finally get to work in space.

For those unfamiliar, Fenris Creations is an Icelandic video game developer best known for creating EVE Online, the groundbreaking space-based MMORPG launched in 2003. EVE quickly earned its place in gaming history thanks to its player-driven narratives, intricate in-game economy, and battles that unfold on a truly massive scale. Its lore is vast and deeply rooted in worldbuilding, spanning more than 100 lightyears. Every new addition has to fit seamlessly into this living universe.

The EVE cinematics team is responsible for crafting trailers and teasers for new and upcoming games and expansions, essentially opening portals into new worlds for players. Their job is to introduce fresh assets and storylines using stunning visuals, supported by music and sound design that enhances the scale and emotion of the moment.

When it comes to sound design, my philosophy has always been twofold: musical and multilayered to the point of absurdity. I firmly believe that more is more in sound design. That doesn’t mean blasting eardrums into oblivion, but rather ensuring that everything visible and imaginable has a sonic presence, even if it’s barely perceptible. Those almost hidden layers add richness, texture, and credibility to the visuals.

This approach can involve a huge amount of work, especially when balancing against music or voiceover. When I score music and design sound for the same project, the music often makes way for the sound design, or even incorporates sound effects directly. Because to me, all sound is music, and all music is sound.

Ususally we are talking hundreds of tracks that end up in the safe hands of frequent collaborator Styrmir Hauksson, who mixes all the trailers we have done for the EVE world.

Working on these projects with the highly skilled cinematics team at Fenris Creations has been a genuine blast, an experience that has brought together my passion for sci-fi, music, sound design and storytelling in a universe I’ve admired for years.

Oh, and a happy byproduct from this collaboration is a lot of space themed music, that I will mix in Dolby Atmos and release as soon as I have enough to call an album - so stay tuned for that!