What Happens When You Ask Three Composers to Build a Multiverse?

There's something magical about hearing developers talk shop when the cameras are rolling. Not the polished version. The real one, where conversations wander, someone accidentally reveals a behind-the-scenes story, and everyone starts laughing because they forgot they were supposed to be "on."

That's exactly what happened during our latest Fireside Chat with four composers who brought Dimensional Double Shift to life. We’ve got VP of R&D and audio Daniel Perry joined by senior engineer wizard Milad Nazeri here with the legendary Jeff Broadbent (X-Men: Days of Future Past) and Reuven Herman (Star Wars: The Clone Wars, 007 Legends). What started as a soothingly-paced conversation about music quickly turned into a look behind the curtain at how Dimensional Double Shift found its voice, long before players ever stepped through a Rift.

Here are a few highlights from the conversation.

The soundtrack came before the game

Something you may not know? Some of the music was written before gameplay had even taken shape.

The composers weren't scoring finished levels, they were working alongside concept art and early design conversations, helping establish the personality of worlds that barely existed yet. It's a fascinating peek into just how early audio becomes part of game development.

Every dimension is connected... musically

Hexas sounds nothing like Sporlando, and that's intentional. But beneath those wildly different styles is a shared musical thread.

The team talks about building each dimension around common themes and motifs, giving the soundtrack a subtle sense of cohesion that most players won't consciously notice, but they'll definitely feel.

Sometimes an instrument just needs to "go boink"

Game development is chock-full of highly technical discussions… this wasn't one of them.

One of our favorite moments comes when the team tries to explain how they searched for the perfect sounds to fit each dimension, eventually landing on perhaps the most accurate piece of audio direction ever spoken by Reuven:

"It just needed to go boink."

Somehow... it just makes perfect sense.

Good music sometimes never makes it into the game

One of the more thoughtful parts of the discussion centers around something players rarely get to see: the music that never ships.

As Daniel puts it:

"My goal is always to make the music that's the best fit for the game."

Sometimes that means setting aside tracks everyone loves because they no longer fit the experience. It's a reminder that game development isn't always about holding onto your favorite ideas, It's about finding the right ones and finding what “right” means on a collaborative level.

Stick around for the concert

The Fireside Chat is just the beginning.

After the conversation wraps up, the celebration continues with a special Community Concert featuring music from Dimensional Double Shift. Whether you've been curious about how the soundtrack came together or you simply want to spend some time soaking in the music outside the chaos of your shift, it's the perfect way to experience another side of the game.

Pull up a chair, press play, and join us by the fire. We think you'll come away hearing the multiverse a little differently.