If you were a fan of the popular choose-your-own-adventure books as a kid, you’ll remember the anxiety that came with painstakingly making choices that placed the characters’ fates directly in your hands (admit it, you allowed yourself a “redo” or two when you chose wrong!). If you thought that was bad, imagine seeing it all play out on your television screen as you lead your heroes to salvation… or an untimely demise.
In 2015, Supermassive Games released their studio-defining hit Until Dawn, forever redefining the possibilities of choice-based narrative gaming. Alongside the modern trend of upgrading and re-releasing popular games (i.e. the wildly successful remake of Capcom’s Resident Evil 4), the game was remastered and re-released by Ballistic Moon on October 4, 2024. At Vancouver Film School, we’re proud to announce that our faculty & alumni played a part in this release! Big Foot Studios, run by VFS’s Head of Sound Design for Visual Media program Shane Rees, led the sound design process on the Until Dawn remaster, with 10 VFS Sound Design alumni working in various roles. A local Vancouver sound studio, Big Foot produces sound design for video games, film, and television, including Horizon Forbidden West, Under the Bridge, When Calls the Heart, Murder in a Small Town, The Barbarian and the Troll, Andrew DeYoung’s Friendship (which just premiered at TIFF!), and more.
10 VFS Sound Design for Visual Media alumni worked on Supermassive Games’ remaster of Until Dawn. Starring Hayden Panettiere and Rami Malek, Until Dawn is a BAFTA-winning, narrative-driven horror game where eight friends reunite at a remote mountain lodge a year after their friend’s mysterious disappearance. As they confront their trauma and try to move on, they find themselves stalked by a sinister presence who threatens to deliver a similar fate. What makes Until Dawn so unique is the ability to impact the outcome of the narrative; as players are forced to make snap dialogue and story decisions, the story changes around them in a way that is truly unique to each subsequent playthrough.
Shane explains that all of Until Dawn’s sound needed to be redone, except for the dialogue. Big Foot Studios was brought on to create all of the sound design, sound effects, and mixing for the game. “Every creepy noise, every Wendigo sound, every footstep, every effect – that was us” he explains, mentioning that the best example of where you’ll notice their work is the scene where the rain tower falls. Additionally, Big Foot Studios was also tasked with implementing the sounds directly into the game so that they would play at the appropriate time. This involved the team using Wwise and Unreal Engine sound design
Shane Rees runs Big Foot Studios, which created sound for The Game Awards-nominated Horizon Forbidden West.The 10 alumni who worked on the project are:
- Hugh Wielenga | Lead Sound Designer
- Vaughn Wagner | Sound Effects and Foley Editor
- Jesse Barden | Foley Editor
- Javier Gonzalez | Lead Foley Artist
- Tim McCann | Foley Artist
- Danny Eberhardt | Foley Recordist
- Alexis Mondragon | Technical Audio Implementation
- Sawyer King | Technical Audio Implementation
- Judy Kim | Technical Audio Implementation
- Matheus Vilano | Technical Assistance
"Working on this incredible game represents huge growth for us as a studio,” comments Shane. “Maintaining the high bar we set for ourselves and overcoming some of the technical challenges we faced makes me truly proud of our team and what we can accomplish. It can only go up from here!”
Are you passionate about designing unforgettable sound for AAA games like Until Dawn? Explore VFS’s Sound Design for Visual Media program to discover how we can launch your career in audio for film, games, and beyond in just 1 year. And, if you’re interested in learning more about Big Foot Studios’ work, take a look at our previous blog story where we chatted with Shane about all the incredible work the studio has done for the entertainment and game industries.
FAQ
1. Who designed the sound for the Until Dawn remaster?
Big Foot Studios, led by Shane Rees and a team of 10 VFS alumni, designed the sound for the 2024 remaster of Until Dawn. Their contributions included sound effects, Foley, and technical audio implementation using Wwise and Unreal Engine.
2. What is sound design in video games?
Sound design involves creating and implementing sound effects, Foley, and audio mixing to enhance the gaming experience, as Big Foot Studios demonstrated in the Until Dawn remaster.
3. What tools are used for video game sound design?
Wwise, Unreal Engine, and Avid Pro Tools are some of the popular tools for sound design in games, many of which were used by Big Foot Studios for Until Dawn.
4. How do I start a career in sound design for video games?
Programs like Vancouver Film School’s accelerated, 1-year Sound Design for Visual Media production program fully train artists as sound designers for the film, TV, and game industries.