Electronic Arts Inc. (ERTS) today announced that award-winning composer Winifred Phillips will score the theme music for the newest IP in The Sims™ family, SimAnimals™.
“Our goal was to give a unique and sophisticated voice to the game,” said Robi Kauker, Audio Director for The Sims Label. “Drawing inspiration from pieces like Prokofiev’s Peter and The Wolf, we found the context of the game gave us plenty of opportunity for the timelessness of the orchestra’s instruments and the rich range of Winifred’s compositions.”
In SimAnimals, you can venture into the wild world of animals like never before. You have the power to reach out and touch, pick up and move everything in the forest from squirrels and foxes to trees and flowers. As you journey deeper and deeper into the forest, you can feed a bear what he craves, pick up a rabbit or a hedgehog and bring him to his friends or water your favorite tree and watch it grow. Throughout your voyage you will make new animal friends and discover what other creatures lurk in the wild. In SimAnimals, you have the ability to engage wild animals, experience life in the forest and run the wild!
CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE TRAILER
Your journey through the forest is comprised of many small musical moments that combine as the soundtrack. Each location starts off with a unique score, from strains of Celtic music for ancient castle ruins to the funky groove of the old junkyard. Small melodies of solo orchestra instruments underscore the big events of the animals’ lives and fully orchestrated moments define the player’s choices in the world. The music is designed to ground the complexities of the animal’s life in the human scale of emotions. As the fortunes of the world reflect the player’s interactions and creative, fun and mischievous choices, the music gives voice to a forest rejoicing or suffering. When the individual animals are in distress due to neglect, the music calls out, and during moments of pure happiness, like the arrival of a new born, the music shares the tender warmth.
“We are very excited about the caliber of music being included in SimAnimals. We needed the music to reflect the status and mood of the game and Winifred has nailed that with her score,” said Sam Player, Executive Producer of SimAnimals. “As you move through the game, you will hear how your choices are affecting the forest through the music, whether that be upbeat and light when the forest is happy or dramatic and dark when the forest is not so happy.“
“It is extremely inspiring for my music producer Winnie Waldron and I to be involved in a blockbuster project like SimAnimals, where the music sets the tone for the entire user experience,” said Phillips. “Working on a brand new game allows me to have creative control over the sound from the start with nothing to compare it to, which is invigorating and quite an honor.”
For more information about SimAnimals, please go to www.SimAnimals.com. For assets related to this story, please go to www.info.ea.com.
November 4, 2008
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The music of "Speed Racer: The Videogame" was nominated for a Hollywood Music Award! Composer Winifred Phillips and music producer Winnie Waldron are very proud that their work has been recognized by eworldmusic's prestigious music awards! |
February 27th, 2008
Winifred scores SPEED RACER!
Speed Racer:The Videogame, published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, has hit stores across North America on Wii™ and Nintendo DS™. Based on the Warner Bros. Pictures film directed by the Wachowski brothers, Speed Racer: The Videogame features the voices of Emile Hirsch as Speed Racer, Matthew Fox as Racer X and Christina Ricci as Trixie, who reprise their film roles as playable characters.
Award-winning composer Winifred Phillips, whose videogame credits include God of War, created an original score for the videogame, fusing rock, classical and retro beats into a truly unique game soundtrack.
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Click to watch the latest trailer for the Speed Racer Game
Click to watch the gameplay trailer for the Speed Racer Game
Click to watch the teaser trailer for the Speed Racer Game
"Winifred is awesome!" said Andy Satterthwaite, producer and designer of the Speed Racer game for Sidhe Interactive. "She turned my vague and insane ramblings into music which was both exactly what I wanted and better than I ever imagined – and in almost no time at all. Can’t wait to work with her again."
In Speed Racer: The Videogame, developed by Sidhe Interactive for the Wii and Virtuous Games for the Nintendo DS, players will race at amazing speeds to engage in “Car-Fu” battle as they jump, flip, smash and spin competing cars off the track in an effort to outmaneuver opponents. Select from 19 different drivers and their extreme cars as players take to the track in an effort to win the illustrious World Racing League cup. One of the first games compatible with the Wii Wheel, Speed Racer: The Videogame allows players to experience all the twists and turns of the film’s racing sequences first hand as they jump behind the wheel of Speed’sT180 race car the Mach 6, or the specially designed T180 race cars of more than 15 other characters, including Racer X, Trixie and other film favorites.
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June 5th, 2007
VIDEO GAME COMPOSER WINIFRED PHILLIPS APPEARS ON GAME MUSIC COMPILATION CD
"BEST OF THE BEST: A TRIBUTE TO GAME MUSIC"
18 Tracks Inspired by Some of the Greatest Games Ever Made,
Performed by Award-Winning Celebrity Game Music Composers
Game Music Central today announced via Music4Games (www.music4games.net) that the same composers who created the music for God of War, EverQuest, Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter, Hitman, Jade Empire, King Kong, Myst, Prince of Persia, Splinter Cell, Lord of the Rings, Outcast, Rayman, SOCOM and World of Warcraft have joined together to produce Best of the Best: A Tribute To Game Music –the world's first compilation CD featuring music inspired by some of the greatest games ever, performed by award-winning celebrity game music composers. This Collector's Edition CD includes a 6-page booklet with photographs and printed autographs from the 20 featured composers.
The CD is available exclusively at GameMusicCentral.com, a brand new online music store and community dedicated to people with a passion for games and game music.
"Game Music Central is a great place for gamers and game music composers to connect,” said Tommy Tallarico, Composer and Co-executive producer of Video Games Live. "Game Music Central has videos of the composers in recording studios and message boards where gamers can interact with the composers themselves and actually ask their favorite composer a question."
For Game Music Central's first game soundtrack release, 20 award-winning video game composers recorded all new performances of music inspired by some of the most popular video games of all time, including: God of War, Super Mario Bros, World of Warcraft, Final Fantasy, Super Metroid, Earthworm Jim, Medal of Honor, Kingdom Hearts, and many more, all available on one Collector's Edition CD.
The full list of 18 music tracks and 20 artists featured on Best of the Best: A Tribute To Game Music follows:
"Invertebrate Retreat (Subterranean Remix)"
Inspired by Earthworm Jim™ 2
Artist: Tommy Tallarico
Previous works: Advent Rising, Earthworm Jim, MDK.
"The Hunt"
Inspired by Conan® The Barbarian®
Artist: Inon Zur
Previous works: EverQuest II: Echoes of Faydwer, Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones, SOCOM II: U.S. Navy SEALS
"Exile"
Inspired by Myst® III Exile
Artist: Jack Wall
Previous works: Jade Empire, Mass Effect, Myst III & Myst IV
"Around the World" As featured in Crackdown™
Artist: Atlas Plug (aka Tom Salta)
Previous works: Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter I & II, Red Steel, Need for Speed: Underground 2
"Silent Hill™ Theme"
Inspired by Silent Hill
Artists: Cris Velasco and Sascha Dikiciyan
Previous works: God of War, Dark Messiah of Might and Magic, Hellgate: London
"Go Mario!"
Inspired by Super Mario Brothers™
Artist: Winifred Phillips (prod. Winnie Waldron)
Previous works: God of War, The Da Vinci Code, Shrek the Third
"Beneath the Surface"
Inspired by Alone in the Dark®
Artist: Jesper Kyd
Previous works: Hitman 1-4, Freedom Fighters, The Chronicles of SpellBorn
"A Premonition" and "Chrono Trigger"
Inspired by Chrono Trigger™
Artist: Gerard Marino
Previous works: God of War I & II, Fantastic 4, The Punisher
"Zanarkand"
Inspired by Final Fantasy™ X
Artists: Rod Abernethy and Jason Graves
Previous works: BlackSite: Area 51, Blazing Angels I & II, Star Trek: Legacy
"That Was Then (This is Now)"
Inspired by Kingdom Hearts®
Artist: Billy Martin
Previous works: Chicken Little, Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones, Tarzan Untamed
"The Vengeful Spartan"
Inspired by God of War™
Artist: Mark Griskey
Previous works: Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, The Chronicles of Narnia, Rayman: Raving Rabbids
"Medal of Honor Improvisation"
Inspired by Medal of Honor™
Artist: Chance Thomas
Previous works: Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar, Marvel Ultimate Alliance, Peter Jackson's King Kong
"The Legend of Zelda"
Inspired by The Legend of Zelda®
Artist: David Arkenstone
Previous works: World of Warcraft: Burning Crusade, Emperor: Battle for Dune
"Grabbag"
Inspired by Duke Nukem®
Artist: Lennie Moore
Previous works: Dirty Harry, Outcast, The Lord of the Rings: War of the Ring
"Super Metroid Theme"
Inspired by Super Metroid®
Artist: Will Loconto
Previous works: Rayman: Raving Rabbids, X-Men: The Official Game, Aliens vs Predator 2: Primal Hunt
"A Call to Arms"
Inspired by World of Warcraft®
Artist: Chris Rickwood
Previous works: Law and Order: Criminal Intent, Civil War: Bull Run
"The White Horse"
Inspired by The Lord of the Rings™
Artist: Colin O'Malley
Previous works: Superman: Returns
"Retro Bitz 2070"
Inspired by RoboBlitz™
Artist: Daniel Sadowski
Previous works: RoboBlitz.
June 1st, 2007
GAMINGANGELS.COM INTERVIEW
Trina Schwimmer of GamingAngels.com recently interviewed WInifred about a wide range of topics, including her work for the "Shrek the Third" videogame, her approach to the creative process, her memories of her experiences as a composer on "God of War", and her viewpoint on the state of the industry and the role of women in game development. GamingAngels.com was created as an activist community of female gamers and their supporters, in an effort to awaken the video game development community to the importance of the female demographic, and to inspire and unite female gamers everywhere. Winifred was honored to be interviewed by GamingAngels! To read the interview, click on the following link:
GamingAngels.com Interviews Composer Winifred Phillips
May 18th, 2007
WOMENGAMERS.COM INTERVIEW
WomenGamers.com interviewed Winifred about her work on "Shrek the Third", her experiences as a game composer and what drew her to the demanding profession of creating music for games. Conducted by WomenGamers' chief editor, Ismini Roby, the interview was just posted to the popular web site, which not only reaches out to the burgeoning community of women gamers, but also sponsors the country's first women's game design scholarships. WomenGamers.com also consults with such prestigious colleges as DigiPen Institute of Technology, Guildhall at SMU, NC State University and the University of Florida regarding the promotion of women's participation in the game industry. Winifred was honored to be interviewed by WomenGamers.com. To read the interview, click on the following link:
WomenGamers.com Interview with Composer Winifred Phillips
May 17th, 2007
BELLAONLINE.COM INTERVIEW
"Women in Music" editor Shelia Goss recently interviewed Winifred for BellaOnline.com. BellaOnline is the 2nd largest women's web site on the internet, with over 20 million page views a month. Shelia Goss is an award-winning novelist who , in addition to serving as BellaOnline's "Women in Music" editor, is a successful entertainment writer who has interviewed such luminaries as Lisa Marie Presley, Michael Bolton, Will Wheaton, Star Jones Reynolds and Vivica Fox. In her interview with Winifred, Shelia explored the issues involved in creating a movie-based game tie-in, giving Winifred the opportunity to discuss her experiences as composer for the "Shrek the Third" video game. To read the interview, click on the following link:
BellaOnline.com Interview with Composer Winifred Phillips
May 16th, 2007
KILLERBETTIES.COM INTERVIEW
Winifred was recently interviewed by Jason Van Horn of KillerBetties.com. In the four page in-depth interview, Winifred discussed her work as a game composer on projects like "Shrek the Third" and her recent "Super Mario Bros." tribute track. To read the interview, click on the following link:
KillerBetties.com Interview with Composer Winifred Phillips
May 15th, 2007
Shrek the Third Video Game Hits Retail!
Winifred's latest project, the "Shrek the Third" Video Game, has shipped to retail stores nationwide today! Winifred Phillips was the composer for the "Shrek the Third" video games for XBox 360, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS, Playstation 2, Playstation Portable and PC.
Below you can read the official announcement from the game's publisher, Activision:
ACTIVISION'S SHREK THE THIRD VIDEO GAME SHIPS TO RETAIL
The wait is Ogre with the announcement that the Shrek the Third™ video game from Activision, Inc. has shipped to retail stores nationwide. The fate of Far Far Away is in gamer's hands as they assume the role of their favorite characters from the film – Shrek®, Donkey, Fiona, Puss-in-Boots, Artie and Sleeping Beauty – and embark on an all-new adventure to save the land from the clutches of the evil Prince Charming. The Shrek the Third video game is based on DreamWorks Animation's highly anticipated feature film, which opens on May 18.
"Activision's Shrek the Third game captures the film's signature humor as it takes gamers on a grand journey featuring original characters and storylines created exclusively for the game," said Kim Salzer, Vice President of Global Brand Management, Activision Publishing. "Players will enjoy hours of fun and engaging gameplay as they travel through the Shrek universe in 20 action-filled levels and encounter a cast of twisted fairy tale characters such as Pinocchio, Prince Charming and a dim-witted Cyclops."
Shrek the Third the video game takes players on an epic journey through magical worlds while mastering each character's special moves and abilities, battling villains, gathering collectibles and joining friends to complete challenging mini-games in either single-player or two-player multiplayer modes. The game also introduces two new playable characters from the movie – Fiona's rebellious cousin Artie and her fellow fairy tale princess Sleeping Beauty.
May 7th, 2007
GRRLGAMER.COM INTERVIEW
Winifred was recently interviewed by Lania S. of GrrlGamer.com regarding her work as a video game composer. In the interview she discussed the music she wrote for the upcoming game "Shrek the Third", as well as other topics including the "Super Mario Bros." tribute track she recently completed for the "Best of the Best: A Tribute to Game Music" album. If you'd like to read the interview, just click on the following link:
GrrlGamer.com Interview with Composer Winifred Phillips
April 11th, 2007
GAME MUSIC FOR ALL GENERATIONS
Generations Productions LLC, an award-winning music studio and production company, announced that its internationally acclaimed composer Winifred Phillips (whose work includes the upcoming “Shrek the Third” video game) has recorded a “Super Mario Brothers” tribute track to celebrate the company’s four years of success in the video game industry. Since the company was founded in 2003, Winifred has created original musical scores for four blockbuster games: “The Da Vinci Code”, “God of War”, “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”, and “Shrek the Third”. To commemorate this achievement and to celebrate the importance of music in video games, Winifred created the all-new recording “Go Mario! (Super Mario Brothers)”, a tribute track saluting the 20th anniversary of the release of the original game. Winifred worked with award-winning music producer Winnie Waldron, her long-time partner at Generations Productions, on this track.
“My music producer Winnie Waldron and I feel that older video games that have helped shape our current industry are an important part of our shared heritage,” Winifred said, “It was an honor and quite thrilling that we were asked to contribute a track to The Best of the Best: A Tribute to Game Music. My hope is that the fans out there will love this piece.”
Winifred’s music will be featured on the album “The Best of the Best: A Tribute to Game Music”, which will be available exclusively on May 1st at Game Music Central ( www.gamemusiccentral.com). According to the Guinness Book of World Records, “Super Mario Brothers” is the bestselling game of all time. Winifred’s new version of this theme will be featured on May 1st in this upcoming album, the first compilation album to highlight top game composers performing music inspired by some of the greatest games ever made. The album also includes music from “The Legend of Zelda”, “Myst III: Exile”, “World of Warcraft”, “Metroid Prime”, “Medal of Honor”, “Final Fantasy” and many others, all performed by a select group of celebrity videogame composers.
Known in the games industry not only for her ability to tap into the emotions of gamers with her cinematic orchestral scores, but also for her virtuoso skills as a classically trained vocalist, Winifred has recorded her own voice as a part of the orchestral scores for all of her game projects. For “The Best of the Best” album, Winifred performed an a-cappella vocal version of the Super Mario Brothers theme. Overdubbing her own voice into twenty tracks, Winifred executed complex vocal harmonies at breakneck speeds, adorned with classic video game sound effects to celebrate the overwhelming world-wide affection for the original NES game.
Following close on the heels of the “Best of the Best” album debut will be the release of Winifred’s fourth triple-A videogame project. Her previous game projects have earned her numerous awards, including the Interactive Achievement Award for Best Original Score from the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences, and four Game Audio Network Guild Awards, including the prestigious "Music of the Year" Award. In addition, Winifred produced, narrated and was the composer of the award-winning “Radio Tales” series, in which she wrote the musical scores for over one hundred music drama programs first aired via National Public Radio and currently broadcast each week to the over seven million subscribers of XM Satellite Radio (Sonic Theater, channel 163). For her work on this series, Winifred is a four-time winner of the coveted Gracie Award for artistic excellence and outstanding achievement from the Foundation of American Women in Radio and Television.
April 4th , 2007
Winifred just posted a gallery of photos from her recent trip to San Francisco to attend the Game Developers Conference at the Moscone Center (March 5th - 9th). Click the link below to see Winifred and her music producer Winnie Waldron having a blast in San Fran!
Game Developers Conference 2007 Photo Gallery
February 6th, 2007
Winifred scores SHREK THE THIRD
Winifred is hard at work with her music producer Winnie Waldron, creating the music for Activision's upcoming game "SHREK THE THIRD", which will be released this May to coincide with the summer blockbuster movie premiere!
May 19th, 2006
Winifred is interviewed by Music4Games.net
Just in time for the world-wide premiere of "The Da Vinci Code™" movie directed by Ron Howard and starring Tom Hanks, Music4Games.net has posted an interview with Winifred regarding the music she composed for the tie-in videogame, also released today. In the interview, Winifred discusses what it was like to create music for the game based on Dan Brown's record-breaking novel.
Music4Games.net is the internet's leading provider of game music infotainment. To read the interview, visit the following link:
Music4Games.net Interview with Winifred Phillips
May 15th, 2006
MEDIA RELEASE:
AWARD WINNING COMPOSER AND VOCALIST WINIFRED PHILLIPS SCORES The Da Vinci Code™ VIDEO GAME SOUNDTRACK
Winifred Phillips’ original music and lyrics immerse players in the official video game based on the upcoming film The Da Vinci Code™.
New York – May 15th, 2006 – Winifred Phillips, a multiple award winning composer for video games, radio, television and film, has created the theatrical score for The Da Vinci Code™ video game, developed by The Collective for 2K Games. The video game is based on the highly-anticipated TheDa Vinci Code film by Oscar™ winning director Ron Howard, which is based on Dan Brown’s critically acclaimed, best-selling novel. The video game is timed to coincide with the film’s world-wide release date of May 19th, 2006.
Selected by the development team at Collective Studios for her imaginative and innovative approach to choral composition, Winifred was given extensive creative control to produce an original sound for the game inspired by Dan Brown’s novel. Working with award winning music producer Winnie Waldron, Winifred wrote more than one hundred tracks of dramatic and ethereal music for The Da Vinci Code™ video game that combines classical and liturgical techniques with an aggressive contemporary edge and all the orchestral power of a modern-day thriller. Phillips is a classically trained vocalist as well as a composer, so for the score she personally sang all the voices of a full symphonic chorus including sopranos, altos, tenors and basses.
Cordy Rierson, producer of the upcoming videogame for Collective Studios, said, “When we heard Winifred’s music, we knew she was the one to bring The Da Vinci Code™ alive with inspiring and innovative sound. Her music and vocals provided vision and helped shape what is going to be a true one of a kind gaming experience.”
Collective Studios’ audio director J.P. Walton added, “Winifred's score is the perfect accompaniment to the game. Her melodic themes and haunting choral arrangements provide a wonderful backdrop to The Da Vinci Code™. Once you hear it you won't believe that she alone performed every part!”
As an accomplished game composer, Winifred's music has won the 2005 Interactive Achievement Award from the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences for “Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition,” and four Game Audio Network Guild Awards in 2005, including the prestigious "Music of the Year" Award. Winifred is also the composer of award-winning musical scores for more than 100 music drama programs in the "Radio Tales" series, originally aired on National Public Radio and currently broadcast weekly to the more than six million subscribers of XM Satellite Radio. For this series, Winifred wrote music for such radio programs as "War of the Worlds," "Arabian Nights," "The Time Machine," "The Phantom of the Opera," "Gulliver’s Travels," "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" and "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde". Winifred has received four Gracie Awards from the Foundation of American Women in Radio and Television. She is also a New York Festivals World Medalist, and has been honored by the NFCB Golden Reel Awards and the Audio Publishers Association Awards.
Doubleday has completed its 104th printing of the Dan Brown novel which will bring the total number of hardcover copies in print in North America to an unprecedented 12 million. It is the record-setting adult fiction hardcover bestseller, with 161 weeks on The New York Times bestseller list, 55 of them at #1. In addition, 5 million paperback copies for North America were printed and released in the U.S. market March 28th. The novel currently has 57 million copies in print worldwide in all formats. For more information about The Da Vinci Code™ video game please visit: http://www.thedavincicodegame.com.
About Sony Pictures Consumer Products
Sony Pictures Consumer Products (SPCP), a Division of Columbia TriStar Consumer Marketing (CTCM), is based in Los Angeles and handles the merchandising and branding efforts for some of the most recognized properties in film and television.
Columbia TriStar Consumer Marketing is a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE). SPE is a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America (SCA), a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Corporation. SPE's global operations encompass motion picture production and distribution; television production and distribution; digital content creation and distribution; worldwide channel investments; home entertainment acquisition and distribution; operation of studio facilities; development of new entertainment products, services and technologies; and distribution of filmed entertainment in 67 countries. Sony Pictures Entertainment can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.sonypictures.com.
About The Collective
Part of Foundation 9 Entertainment (www.F9E.com), the largest independent game developer in North America, The Collective is a leading developer of console video games, and known for groundbreaking third-person action adventure games. The Collective is based in Newport Beach, CA and can be found on the web at: www.collectivestudios.com.
The Collective, along with Backbone Entertainment, Pipeworks, ImaginEngine, and Digital Eclipse make up Foundation 9 Entertainment. The company's studios have developed more than 250 titles, including more than 50 in 2004 alone. Foundation 9 Entertainment employs more than 325 employees, and has offices in Los Angeles, Newport Beach, Emeryville, Vancouver, Boston, Eugene, and Honolulu. For more information on Foundation 9 Entertainment, please visit: www.F9E.com.
May 14th, 2006
Winifred's Latest Project, "The Da Vinci Code™" is Shown at E3
Publisher 2K Games celebrated the imminent release of its triple-A game, "The Da Vinci Code™" with a huge display for the title at this year's Electronic Entertainment Expo, held at the LA Convention Center from May 9th - 12th, 2006. Winifred wrote over a hundred tracks for the action adventure game tie-in to the upcoming blockbuster movie directed by Ron Howard and starring Tom Hanks.
In a strong show of support for the game's musical score, 2K Games / Collective Studios has included the entire musical soundtrack of the game as unlockable bonus content on the game disc itself. More information on how to unlock the soundtrack will be included on this page when it becomes available. In the meantime, to see photos from this year's E3 (including 2K Games' showing of "The Da Vinci Code™"), visit the following link:
Electronic Entertainment Expo 2006 Photo Gallery
March 26th, 2006
Winifred's "God of War" Music Wins GANG Awards
The music that Winifred composed for the acclaimed "God of War" action adventure game won four Game Audio Network Guild Awards last week, including the prestigious "Music of the Year" Award.
The awards were presented during a gala event in the Regency Ballroom of the Fairmont Hotel during the Game Developers Conference in San Jose last week. To see photos from this year's Game Developers Conference, visit the following link:
Game Developers Conference 2006 Photo Gallery
February 20th, 2006
Winifred's "God of War" Music Gets Four Nominations
The music that Winifred composed for the acclaimed "God of War" action adventure game has been nominated in four categories of the Game Audio Network Guild Awards, including "Music of the Year", "Best Original Soundtrack Album", "Best Live Performance Recording" and a special nomination for Winifred's composition and performance of the "Siren's Song" in the category of "Best Original Vocal of the Year". Winifred and her music producer Winnie Waldron are very proud that their work on "God of War" has been recognized by the Guild.
Voted and judged by the game audio industry and members of the Game Audio Network Guild (G.A.N.G.), this year's finalists represent an array of the best audio in games from 2005. Tommy Tallarico, the president of G.A.N.G., issued this statement yesterday afternoon: "Each year it amazes me how far the game audio industry has come in such a short period of time, this years entries rival anything I've ever heard in a motion picture. The G.A.N.G. Awards provide an important showcase for recognition of the amazing talent our industry has to offer."
February 10th, 2006
Winifred Wins AIAS Achievement Award
The music that Winifred composed for the acclaimed "God of War" action adventure game has won an Interactive Achievement Award from the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences (AIAS) in the category of Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition.
The Interactive Achievement Awards were held last night as the capping event of the D.I.C.E Summit, a prestigious industry event held each year in Las Vegas. This year's awards gala took place at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, and was hosted by stand-up comedian Jay Mohr. The Interactive Achievement Awards are the most credible, respected and recognized awards for interactive entertainment software.
Winifred and her music producer Winnie Waldron are thrilled that their work was recognized by the Interactive Academy. To read a list of this year's winners, visit the following link:
AIAS ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS WINNERS
January 17th, 2006
"God of War" Music Nominated for AIAS Achievement Award
The music that Winifred composed for the acclaimed "God of War" action adventure game has been nominated for Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition by the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences (AIAS).
The Interactive Academy is a prestigious organization dedicated to serving the entertainment software industry. According to the AIAS website, "Interactive Achievement Award recipients are determined by a vote of qualified Academy members. As such, selection as an Interactive Academy award finalist or recipient represents the strongest possible peer recognition. No person may become a voting member of the Academy unless he or she can demonstrate a threshold level of experience and professional credits in the industry. Interactive Academy voting is secret, conducted on-line, and supervised and certified by our partners at eBallot. The integrity of the system, coupled with a broad-based voting population of Academy members, make the Interactive Achievement Awards the most credible, respected and recognized awards for interactive entertainment software."
Winifred and her music producer Winnie Waldron are proud that their work was recognized by Interactive Academy. To read a list of this year's nominees, visit the following link:
AIAS ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS FINALISTS 2005
January 10th, 2006
"God of War" Music Wins GameZone Award!
The music that Winifred composed for the acclaimed "God of War" action adventure game has won the "GameZone Best Original Score of the Year " Award for 2005.
GameZone Online is the PC and video games connection. Since GameZone is neither associated with or a derivative of any electronic or print publication, it is one of the most reliable and unbiased resources on the web. Winifred and her music producer Winnie Waldron are proud that their work was recognized by GameZone. To read about the award, visit the following link:
GAMEZONE BEST ORIGINAL SCORE OF THE YEAR 2005
December 21nd , 2005
"God of War" Music Wins Awards!
The music that Winifred composed for the acclaimed "God of War" action adventure game has won the "GameSpot 2005 Best Original Music Award" and the "IGN PS2 Best Original Score" Award for 2005.
IGN is a unit of Fox Interactive Media Inc., and is the web's number one video game destination, attracting more than 31 million unique visitors each month. GameSpot, a division of CNET Networks, is a long standing leader in games information and media. Winifred and her music producer Winnie Waldron are proud that their work was recognized by IGN and GameSpot. To read about the awards, visit the following links:
IGN PS2 BEST ORIGINAL SCORE AWARD
GAMESPOT 2005 BEST ORIGINAL MUSIC AWARD
October 30th, 2005
Composer Winifred Phillips Attends Women's Game Conference in Austin
Winifred and her producer Winnie Waldron just returned from an enlightening conference in Austin, Texas. The second annual Women's Game Conference, hosted by The Game Initiative, focused on women in the computer and video game industry. The conference explored a variety of women’s topics in the computer and video game industry including career paths for women in the industry, how women are portrayed in games, and women as video game consumers. The conference took place at the Austin Convention Center. To see photos of the event, click below:
Women's Game Conference Photo Gallery
October 25th, 2005
"God of War" Music Nominated for Spike TV Award
Spike TV today announced the nominees for their annual Video Game Awards. The music of "God of War" earned a nomination in the "Best Original Score" category. As a composer for "God of War", Winifred was honored to be nominated for this award. The awards gala will be hosted by acclaimed actor and producer Samuel L. Jackson, who was a winner at last year's show for Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Vin Diesel, The Rock, Missy Elliot, Snoop Dogg, Carmen Electra, Xzibit and Ozzy Osbourne are also set to appear at the third annual awards event. Many musical acts, presenters and attendees will be announced shortly. The Spike TV "Video Game Awards 2005" takes place on Friday, November 18 at the Gibson Amphitheater in Los Angeles with the two-hour "games vs. games" extravaganza premiering on Spike TV Saturday, December 10 (9:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT). To read the full list of nominees for the third annual awards event, visit the following link:
Spike TV Video Game Awards Nominees
September 3rd, 2005
"Charlie" Music Gets Great Review On G4 TV
The music Winifred wrote for the "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" console game was praised highly during the review of the game for the "Judgment Day" show on G4 Videogame TV. Hosted by pioneering videogame journalist Victor Lucas and legendary game composer Tommy Tallarico, the "Judgment Day" program reviews the latest video games for G4 TV, the only 24 / 7 television network dedicated to video games, available in 50 million cable and satellite homes nationwide. In the review, Victor Lucas said, "The music was unbelievable!" Tommy Tallarico said that Winifred's score was "better than Danny Elfman."
August 30th, 2005
Winifred Interviewed on Music On Film Site
Music On Film, the noted web site dedicated to the intelligent exploration of modern film music, recently interviewed Winifred for its Features column. The interview was posted to the web site today. Entitled "The Sweet Life: An Interview With Winifred Phillips", the article explores in detail the creative process behind the "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" game score, as well as Winifred's views on the special challenges of composing for games. You can read the interview by visiting the following link:
Music On Film Interview
August 9th, 2005
Winifred Interviewed on GameSHOUT Radio Network
GameSHOUT, the 24 hour radio network that features video games, music, technology info, movies and more, interviewed Winifred today about the music she wrote for the "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" console game. In the GameSHOUT Roundtable Discussion including news director Jim Raue and movie reviewer Shane Luis, Winifred answered questions about how she entered the field of music for games, how she came to create music for the "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" project, and a host of other topics. You can tune in to the 30 minute interview this Thursday, August 11th at 5:30 PM PST (8:30 pm EST) by using Windows Media Player or WinAmp. Visit the GameSHOUT web site at www.gameshout.com to hear the interview this Thursday at 5:30 PM PST (8:30 pm EST).
August 6th, 2005
"Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" Video Game Web Site Launched
Global Star Software has launched the official web site for the "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" game, and the site makes extensive use of Winifred's music. Visit the site to hear eight complete tracks that Winifred wrote for the console game. You can also see the official game trailer and two television commercials from the game, all featuring Winifred's music. To visit the site, click the following link:
Official Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Game Site
August 2nd, 2005
Music4Games Posts Article about "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" Soundtrack
The Music4Games website, reporting on "the future of rock 'n roll and interactive entertainment", posted an article about the music Winifred wrote for the "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" console game. To read that article, click the link below:
Music4Games Article
August 2nd, 2005
Winifred Phillips interviewed by GameZone and BellaOnline
Winifred was recently interviewed by GameZone, a video game web site "bringing together the best of the best information on the game industry", about her music for the "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" console game. You can read that interview at the following link:
GameZone Interview
Winifred was also interviewed by BellaOnline, the second largest women's site in the world, about the music she created for the "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" console game. You can read that interview at the following link:
BellaOnline Interview
August 2nd, 2005
"Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" Game #5 on UK Sales Charts
For the week ending July 30th, the "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" game is listed at #5 on the UK sales charts, climbing eleven places from its rank the previous week.
July 19th, 2005
TeamXbox.com Posts Interview with Winifred Phillips
TeamXbox.com, the #1 Xbox web site on the internet, posted an interview with Winifred Phillips in which she discusses her role as the composer of the music for the "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" console game. In the interview, she shared what it was like working on a Tim Burton project and the musical approach she took in scoring a game set in the fantastic world created by Ronald Dahl. She also discussed the evolution of game audio and the role that music plays in the video game experience. You can read that interview by visiting the following link:
Team Xbox Interview with Winifred Phillips
July 18th, 2005
"Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" Number One At Box Office
The"Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" movie was #1 at the box office over the past weekend, taking in 56.2 million dollars for the film that has earned spectacular reviews for the visionary direction of Tim Burton. RottenTomatoes.com gave the movie a "Freshness" meter of 81%, making it one of the best reviewed movies of the summer. The "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" game allows moviegoers the opportunity to explore the fantastic world that Tim Burton has created for his cinematic blockbuster. The game was released last week.
July 12th, 2005
"Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" Video Game Hits Store Shelves
The"Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" console video game was released today on the PlayStation2, Gamecube, and XBox platforms. The game will be closely followed by the highly anticipated movie of the same name. Directed by Tim Burton and starring Johnny Depp, the movie will be released on the 15th. Winifred composed the choral and orchestral music for the videogame tie-in to the blockbuster movie, and all of the tracks she created were personally approved by Tim Burton himself. Expect a fantastic adventure through Willy Wonka's chocolate factory in this action adventure game developed by High Voltage Software and published by Global Star / Warner Bros.
June 13th, 2005
Music from "God of War" nominated for a G-Phoria Award
G4, the only 24/7 television network dedicated to videogames, today announced the nominees for the 3rd annual G-Phoria Awards. The music of "God of War" earned a nomination in the "Best Original Soundtrack" category. As a composer for "God of War", Winifred was honored to be nominated for this award. The awards show will take place July 27 at the Los Angeles Center Studios of G4. "God of War" was the most nominated game in the G-Phoria Awards this year, raking in eleven nominations for its outstanding artistic and technical achievements.
June 10th, 2005
Winifred Interviewed for EB Games TV
EB Games interviewed Winifred during this year's Game Developer's Conference in San Francisco, and the interview is now featured as an 'exclusive' on EB TV, the in-store television programming which shows in over 2,000 video games stores on four continents. The interview will be showing from June 10th to July 2nd. So if you ever find yourself in an EB Games store and would like to see Winifred on TV, just ask one of the sales people to fast forward their DVD to the God of War interview.
May 25th, 2005
Interview with Winifred to Appear in Forthcoming Book
Noted author Jeffrey Fisher interviewed Winifred for the new edition of his book, "How to Make Money Scoring Soundtracks and Jingles" published by Artistpro. In the interview, Winifred answers questions regarding how she entered the video game industry, the gear she uses in her studio, and what she thinks are the most essential technical and business considerations for the working composer. The book will be published in September.
April 23rd, 2005
Winifred Interviewed for Play Magazine
An interview with Winifred appears in the May 2005 issue of Play Magazine. The interview appears on page 94, and is entitled "Winifred Phillips, the Goddess of War, luring gamers to Sony's remarkable action epic with the call of the Siren." In the interview, Winifred discusses the music she wrote for "God of War", what it was like working on such an epic project, how she employed her skills as a trained classical vocalist to perform the singing voice of the Siren miniboss character for the game, and how Greek mythology influenced the creation of music for "God of War". You can read the entire article in the May issue of Play Magazine.
March 24th , 2005
"God of War" Hits Store Shelves
The highly anticipated action adventure game, "God of War", was released today exclusively for PlayStation2. Developed by David Jaffe, the visionary developer of the Twisted Metal franchise, "God of War" is the story of the Spartan warrior Kratos, who is charged by the Greek gods to kill Ares, the god of war. Winifred both wrote epic orchestral and choral music for the game, and was called upon to perform the singing voice of the Siren miniboss character. "God of War" was named "Best PS2 Game of Show" at E3 2004 by Gamespot and Gamespy, and "Most Impressive Game for PS2" by Newsweek. The game was developed by SCEA Santa Monica Studios, and was published by Sony Computer Entertainment America.
