Q&A with ZeniMax Studios/ESO Lead Audio Director Brad Derrick

I had the absolute honor of getting to sit down with ZeniMax Studios Audio Director Brad Derrick to pick his brain about the beautiful soundtracks he’s made for The Elder Scrolls Online. I’ll admit, I fan-girled hard while talking to him. His soundtracks and scores have been my go-to for when I am writing, relaxing, cooking, driving…you name it. I’ve got a playlist with every song in ESO, and it’s easily one of my top three most played out of all my music, and I have a lot of music.

In this video, you’ll hear us talk about his musical background growing up, how he got into composing for a video game company, his involvement in the design process for ESO projects (which is WAY more in depth than you might think!) and much more. You’ll see some stunning artwork shared by the ESO team, as well as some background footage of Brad recording with an orchestra. Brad lives, eats, sleeps, and breathes music, and he is such a fun and friendly person to talk to, so I hope that you enjoy this as much as I did!

We also got to talk about Blackwood, the newest Chapter for ESO which launched this week. It features a brand new zone called Blackwood, a return to Oblivion, and the introduction of the much anticipated Companion system. I personally can’t wait to dive in and explore, so stay tuned for my full review which will be coming soon!

Blackwood is live as of June 1st and starts at $39.99 USD.

If you’d like to listen to Brad’s magic (and I highly recommend you do), here is the official The Elder Scrolls Online playlist.

As always thanks for supporting Gaming Trend, and thank you to Brad and Bethesda for giving me the opportunity to talk to one of my favorite musicians!