D.I.C.E. Award for Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition

The D.I.C.E. Award for Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition is an award presented annually by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences during the D.I.C.E. Awards. This award is "presented to the individual or team whose work represents the highest level of achievement in original musical composition for an interactive title. Both the quality of the score and the integration of the score into the title will be considered when determining the recipient of the award". Creative/technical Academy members with expertise as an audio designer or musician are qualified to vote for this award.

The award's most recent winner is Marvel's Spider-Man 2, developed by Insomniac Games and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment.

History

The award was initially presented as the Outstanding Achievement in Sound and Music for "the integration and use of sound and/or original music in an interactive title". The first winner was PaRappa the Rapper, which was developed by NanaOn-Sha and published by Sony Computer Entertainment. Sound and Music would be separated into their own categories for Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition and Outstanding Achievement in Sound Design during the 3rd Annual Interactive Achievement Awards. The award for the Outstanding Achievement in Soundtrack was introduced for the 7th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards. This award recognized "the highest level achievement in soundtrack composition for an interactive title". Both the soundtrack's quality and the soundtrack's integration "into the interactive title will be considered in determining the recipient". The Outstanding Achievement in Soundtrack award was not offered for the 15th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards, and has not been offered since.

• Outstanding Achievement in Sound and Music (1998–1999)
• Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition (2000–present)
• Outstanding Achievement in Soundtrack (2004–2011)

Winners and nominees

1990s

2000s

2010s

2020s

Multiple nominations and wins

Developers and publishers

Sony has published the most finalists and winners. It also published the most finalists for Original Music Composition in a single year, with four in 2008. Sony and Electronic Arts are the only publishers to have published back-to-back winners for Original Music Composition. Sony has currently published the last four winners. RedOctane and MTV Games have both published back-to-back winners for Soundtrack. Harmonix has developed the most winners for Soundtrack, and has a four-year winning streak for the award. Electronic Art's former subsidiary EA Los Angeles and Sony's Santa Monica Studio have developed the most winning titles for Original Music Composition. EA Los Angeles is the only developer that developed back-to-back winners for Original Music Composition. Blizzard Entertainment has developed the most finalists without having a single winner. Ubisoft has published the most finalists without a winner.

Franchises

Call of Duty, God of War, and Warcraft have the most nominations for Original Music Composition. Guitar Hero and Rock Band have the most nominations for Soundtrack, and have back-to-back wins for the category. Rock Band has garnered the most wins in the Soundtrack category. God of War and Medal of Honor have garnered the most wins for Original Music Composition with three each; the only other franchises with multiple wins for Original Music Composition are BioShock and PaRappa the Rapper with two each. Medal of Honor is the only franchise with back-to-back wins for Original Music Composition. BioShock is the only game that is nominated for both Original Music Composition and Soundtrack, winning for the former. SSX is a finalist for Original Music Composition before the award for Soundtrack has been offered. LittleBigPlanet 2 is a finalist for Original Music Composition after the award for Soundtrack has no longer been offered. Despite its record-tying nomination count, Call of Duty and Warcraft have never won the award for Original Music Composition.

Notes

References

1. Bear McCreary
2. D.I.C.E. Awards
3. John Paesano
4. Mick Gordon (composer)
5. Gareth Coker
6. Wilbert Roget II
7. D.I.C.E. Award for Outstanding Achievement in Audio Design
8. Stephen Barton
9. 23rd Annual D.I.C.E. Awards
10. Lorne Balfe
11. Takeshi Furukawa
12. 18th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards
13. 22nd Annual D.I.C.E. Awards
14. Gordy Haab
15. 27th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards
16. 21st Annual D.I.C.E. Awards
17. 26th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards
18. 19th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards
19. 12th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards
20. List of awards and nominations received by Kendrick Lamar