Audio Diaries: Arenas Edition
Greetings, Adventurers!
Just one line from the Announcer reminds players of triumphs or struggles in the Arena, while a single crowd cheer can bring a smile to your face for reasons you’ll never forget. Each sound tells a different story depending on who you ask. We joined New World Audio Director Jean-Edouard Miclot, Composers Brandon Campbell and Ramin Djawadi, and the Announcer himself, Michael Willette, for more insight into theirs. Let’s explore the instrument, crowd, and voice-over techniques that vastly improve the satisfaction behind every action in Arenas.
The team’s vision for Arenas was to capture the atmosphere of a blood sport through strong audio reinforcement. Their unlikely inspiration — live sporting events.
They laid microphones on the field to capture the ohhhs, noooos, and other reactions of about 20,000 people. These sounds became one of the main audio feedback mechanics when someone dies in the Arena. After cleaning up all of the sounds from the music, PA announcements, and occasional swear words, a second trip to the stadium featuring nearly 50,000 fans laid the groundwork for every Arena crowd celebration.
Design choices like the position of the announcer also influenced their creative direction.
«We didn’t want to recreate a stereotype from fighting or FPS games because that voice was never diegetic and wouldn’t fit our soundscape,» Jean-Edouard said. «We needed the announcer to physically be in the Arena with the players, which meant we also needed to have the music feel like it was part of the space too.»
Each track had to sound like the music could be played in the Arena itself. The mode subsequently features percussion, a lot of brass, including trumpets, and some unusual options like war horns
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