If there was ever a doubt as to which video game would win the inaugural edition of the “Best Score Soundtrack for Video and Other Interactive Media” after the nominee announcement, that controversy was laid to rest on 5 February at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. Assassin’s Creed Valhalla expansion, Dawn of Ragnarok, was announced as the winner for the night.
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: Dawn of Ragnarok edged ‘Aliens: Fireteam Elite’, ‘Call Of Duty: Vanguard’, ‘Marvel’s Guardians Of The Galaxy’, and ‘Old World’ to come out at the top. It was a momentous celebration for everyone involved, and more so for Stephanie Economou, the composer of the Assassin’s Creed Valhalla soundtrack.
In the past, video game soundtracks have been nominated for the Grammy Awards, but were usually sandwiched with movies and TV shows. Many score composers in the video game industry have always thought that this was unfair considering the uniqueness of video games.
ALSO READ: Video Games In A World Of Its Own At The Grammys For The 1st Time
Interestingly, Christopher Tin won the award for ‘Civilization IV’ in 2011. However, 2023 was the year that video games got their own category. However, there was a moment of controversy like most Grammy Awards in recent years when comedian, Randy Rainbow obviously struggled to call out Assassin’s Creed Valhalla as the winner.
Rainbow said “Valaha” instead of “Valhalla”. He probably thought he had got away with it in the midst of the raucous cheers and that not very many people in the audience would have heard the mispronunciation. Hours later, the error surfaced online.
Rainbow later took to Twitter to apologize for the error, highlighting that he was still nervous at that time. He also mentioned that his name was “accidentally pronounced Dave Chappelle” when his nominated category was called.
Reactions trailing Assassin’s Creed Valhalla win
Best Score Soundtrack for Video and Other Interactive Media
“Aliens: Fireteam Elite,” Austin Wintory, composer
“Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: Dawn of Ragnarok,” Stephanie Economou, composer (WINNER)
“Call Of Duty®: Vanguard,” Bear McCreary, composer
“Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy,” Richard Jacques, composer
“Old World,” Christopher Tin, composer
It was a moment of joy for the fans of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. Prior to this time, Economou’s bio read “Non-award-winning composer”. Hopefully, she would be updating that soon.
Before venturing into making video game scores, Economou was active in the movie industry. She is credited as the score composer for some favorite TV series and movies including ‘The Martian’, ‘Jupiter’s Legacy’, and ‘Mulan’ among many others.
Economou got her award during the Grammy Awards’ pre-show segment which had Randy Rainbow as the host. Walking up to the stage to claim her award in a black form-fitting jumpsuit with a white flowing forked cape, Economou thanked the Recording Academy and Ubi Soft, the studio behind Assassin’s Creed Valhalla.
“To all the remarkable musicians who had a hand in shaping the sound of this score… I share this with all of you,” she said.
In her speech, Economou also echoed the importance of having a separate video game category. “Lastly, I just want to recognize all of the people who fought tirelessly to bring this category of video game user into existence. Thank you for acknowledging and validating the power of game users. This is truly such an honor,” she said.
Fellow nominee Bear McCreary (Call Of Duty Vanguard) tweeted words of congratulations to Economou saying, “Huge congrats to @StephEconomou for her well-deserved win for “Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: Dawn of Ragnarök” in this new category’s historic first win!”
Even before the win, Assassin’s Creed’s official Twitter handle announced it would give out 10 copies of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: Dawn of Ragnarok to celebrate the game’s Grammy Awards nomination. Followers were asked to reply to a post with who they will follow to battle; Odin or Loki.
Another Twitter user known as @BrickboiCarti said Rainbow should be bullied into playing the game as a punishment for his mispronunciation.
If you are still wondering what the main theme song of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: Dawn of Ragnarok sounds like, see the tweet below.
