ASSASSIN'S CREED SHADOWS Interview: Composers The Flight On Game's Unique Sound, Easter Eggs, More (Exclusive)

ASSASSIN'S CREED SHADOWS Interview: Composers The Flight On Game's Unique Sound, Easter Eggs, More (Exclusive)

Assassin's Creed Shadows composers The Flight, Joe Henson and Alexis Smith, talk us through their approach to the game, including where they pulled inspiration from and a big Easter Egg for longtime fans.

By JoshWilding - Apr 07, 2025 09:04 AM EST
Filed Under: Video Games

Composers Joe Henson and Alexis Smith, known collectively as The Flight, are responsible for the epic, breathtaking score you can hear in the recently released Ubisoft video game Assassin's Creed Shadows

Having previously worked on Assassin's Creed Odyssey, they return to the long-running video game series to deliver a score that blends modern soundscapes with traditional Japanese instruments. In the process, they enrich the 16th-century Japan setting, fusing past and present to enhance the emotional depth of the game's narrative.

No strangers to video games, Joe and Alexis' credits include critically acclaimed titles Alien: Isolation and Horizon: Zero Dawn. They've also ventured into television with projects like Lockwood & Co. and Drugsland

We recently got to speak to The Flight about their approach to Assassin's Creed Shadows. During our conversation, we learned how they created a unique sound for 16th-century Japan, the work that went into the themes for the game's two leads, and how key instruments helped shape their approach. 

They also reveal a hidden Easter Egg which pays homage to the franchise's past and reflect on some of their favourite memories from working on Assassin's Creed Shadows. You can read the full interview below. 

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You’re no strangers to the Assassin’s Creed franchise, but these games are all so different; just how different was your approach to this instalment compared to Odyssey?

I think one of the reasons that the AC franchise has been so long lasting is that the games all have a different feeling, dictated by both the geographical setting and the time period involved. Odyssey and Shadows are quite an extreme example of this, Odyssey much, much further back in history, and set in the sun-soaked paradise of the Aegean, whilst Shadows is much more recent, and has a much darker, tragic story. Of course, our score must mirror the story, so we had to take a very different approach.

There are some pretty major differences between Ancient Greece and 16th Century Japan, but did you find any sort of connective tissue between the two given the ways they are linked?

Not between the two settings or time periods, no. But they are both chapters in the game series that is Assassin’s Creed, and Assassin’s Creed is at it’s heart a science-fiction adventure. So, we used this in both our scores, to blend the modern with the historical, just like the over-arching story.

What sort of work went into capturing the right sound and feel for this specific time in history, ensuring what we hear is culturally accurate?

Our goal on Shadows, and what we were tasked with by Ubisoft, was to create a contemporary score, influenced by Japanese traditional instruments of the time period. We did a lot of research into these instruments and found Japanese players here in London who were masters of them. We then used what we learnt and recorded and fused it with the way we compose. Independently of us, Ubisoft also recorded some Japanese musicians playing traditional music for use in diegetic situations, a busker in a marketplace, or the players in a theatre.

In terms of the types of instruments you used for the game, what were some of the most exciting - or challenging - to work with?

The Tsuchibue, the clay flute that Naoe and her father play, was a very important instrument for us, and one that we wrote Naoe’s theme on. It is also fiendishly difficult, and Joe spent a lot of time practising! Recording live Koto with Keiko Kitamura was exciting, as until that point we had been using a virtual instrument to create the demo parts, and it wasn’t until we saw the real thing in action, with someone who is an expert playing it, that we realised how versatile it could be. 

Can you talk us through your approach to composing for the game’s leads, Naoe and Yasuke?

The first pieces we wrote for Shadows were what we like to call ‘story suites’ for each of the main characters, Naoe and Yasuke. These were five-minute-long pieces exploring their themes, instrumental palettes, and ‘feel’, with a structure based on each of their overall story in the game. Naoe and Yasuke both have very different backgrounds and paths, and we wanted to highlight their differences in these pieces, giving us starting points for other instrumental pieces we would compose later. You can hear versions of these pieces on the soundtrack album: ‘The Fujibayashi Legacy’ and ‘Rise of Yasuke.'

Now the game is out there, are there any particular moments or scenes in the game you’re both proud of having worked on?

We’re both very proud of Naoe’s stealth music. Stealth is a very important aspect of her playing character, and so we wanted to create something special. We worked with a Japanese vocalist to create a kind of ‘inner monologue’ feeling using short, whispered phrases and layered vocal effects. Also great to hear is the way the multi-layered interactive music system works in the open world, depending on what the player is doing. These pieces are quite a challenge to create, much harder than the non-interactive cinematics or scripted moments, and the only time we really get to hear them how they are supposed to be heard is once they are in the game engine.

This series has such a rich history; are there any references or musical Easter Eggs fans should be on the lookout for in your score for the game? 

In the prologue, as (spoiler alert!) Naoe’s father is dying, he tells her about the hidden blade. As he does so, you will hear an echo of the iconic series’ melody, ‘Ezio’s Theme.'

Alien, Horizon, Assassin’s Creed: you’ve worked on a lot of iconic franchises, but are there any others you’d love to lend your talents to? Any dream projects?

Yeah, sure, there are lots of great franchises and worlds out there that would be fun to work on, but it is also exciting to work on something completely new, to be able to create a sound from the ground up.

This period has been explored in other games, movies, and TV shows, and while Shadows is very much its own thing, did any of those inspire or influence you at all? 

We took inspiration from a lot of different sources for this game, not only Samurai movies, but other Japanese cinema and music, as well as the things that they have influenced in the west, such as hip-hop. As a composer, I think it is really important to keep searching out new things, to keep widening what you listen to and watch.

What’s the one Assassin’s Creed Shadows memory that will stick with you after working on the game?

All the great people we worked with. From our own team here in London, to the audio department at Ubisoft Quebec and the folks at Ubisoft Music, scoring a AAA game is most definitely a team sport.

Assassin's Creed Shadows is now available on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.

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Gabimaru
Gabimaru - 4/7/2025, 9:21 AM
When is splinter cell remake?
Wahhvacado
Wahhvacado - 4/7/2025, 9:24 AM
I have friends that really enjoyed it. I can't see it being remotely close to Ghost of Tsushima as far as quality. I'll just wait for Ghost of Yotei
Kadara
Kadara - 4/7/2025, 9:46 AM
@Wahhvacado - They are making a sequel just fyi
Wahhvacado
Wahhvacado - 4/7/2025, 10:10 AM
@Kadara - A sequel to Ghost of Yotei already??
Kadara
Kadara - 4/7/2025, 10:41 AM
@Wahhvacado - Yeah bro it's supposed to come out this year but no firm dare has been mentioned as of now!
Wahhvacado
Wahhvacado - 4/7/2025, 11:28 AM
@Kadara - I think you might be referring to Ghost of Yotei that comes out this year which is the GoT sequel. Super excited for it though! Excited to see more of Japan.

Now I want to play GoT, I will need to reinstall it
mountainman
mountainman - 4/7/2025, 9:32 AM
Adding hip hop sounds to traditional Japanese music is certainly a way to accurately represent the history.
Evansly
Evansly - 4/7/2025, 9:57 AM
@mountainman - These games were supposed to accurately represent history? Man they messed that up in the original trilogy
mountainman
mountainman - 4/7/2025, 10:00 AM
@Evansly - They’ve always taken liberty but I do feel like the music always seemed to represent the era well. I wonder why they’d decide to throw hip hop music into this one specifically?
Evansly
Evansly - 4/7/2025, 10:10 AM
@mountainman - Probably to appeal to a more "urban" market.

This game seems like a miss in multiple regards. Ubisoft is out of touch as always
mountainman
mountainman - 4/7/2025, 10:33 AM
@Evansly - Agreed. I have heard this is their best one in years, but it sounds like Ubisoft still has lots of problems.

Was just calling out the music thing as this was the person who wrote out the music for the game.

This same thing happened with the Gladiator 2 trailer. Oh look Denzel’s in it! Throw some hip hop in!
Kadara
Kadara - 4/7/2025, 10:43 AM
@mountainman - Ubisoft needs this to be a huge success to survive. So far so good though.
mountainman
mountainman - 4/7/2025, 10:50 AM
@Kadara - Not really following the financials of it and I can’t say that I care much. Been quite some time before Ubisoft was making top tier games.

Just speaking out a weird music choice on an article about the game’s music.
Kadara
Kadara - 4/7/2025, 10:57 AM
@mountainman - Got you, no worries. Yeah it's weird and doesn't match the theme lol!
slickrickdesigns
slickrickdesigns - 4/7/2025, 9:40 AM
I just re watched the Assassins Creed movie this past weekend and I realized that could’ve been a good movie if they didn’t do the flash backs from modern times with ridiculous McGuffey technology. If they just made it set in the period he goes back to then that movie could’ve been good or at least a lot better.
AnEye
AnEye - 4/7/2025, 10:02 AM
@slickrickdesigns - Same could be said about the games I feel. Always hated the modern/futuristic aspects of the games because it honestly leads to more questions than answers.
JustaceSmith
JustaceSmith - 4/7/2025, 12:02 PM
Yes A sequel to Ghost of Yotei already??

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