“When I started on the project of Necesse, we had maybe thirty sound effects. I’ve made around 400, 350 sound effects, so it’s become much more immersive. You can hear animals when you wander around in the different environments. And just the feedback you get by playing the game, it’s quite nice compared to before, which were much more… maybe empty is the right word.” – Rune Eskildsen

This week’s guest is a media composer, sound designer, and drummer based in Denmark. He writes music and builds sonic identities across formats, from commercials and podcast jingles to film scores, game music, and in-game sound design. He holds a Master of Science in Strategic Communication, which he applies to creative direction, collaboration, and clear, audience-first storytelling.

More recently, he’s become the Composer and Sound Designer of the indie game Necesse, selling more than 2,000,000 copies. His name is Rune R. B. Eskildsen, and he bridges classical training and cutting-edge technology to tell stories through sound. This episode will give you a fresh, behind-the-scenes perspective on how sound can shape emotion, imagination, and even player behavior.

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(00:00) – Growing Up in a Musical Home

Our conversation starts with the movies and music that inspire Rune’s career in sound. “I clearly remember watching Star Wars,” he recalls, “and all of the soundscapes that are in, you know, just that huge universe, [with] TIE-fighters flying by and Darth Vader, that scary sound.” He shares his memories of growing up in a home that doubled as a music studio, and of studying classical music from a young age. “When I went to this special school in Denmark that is only for classical music,” he says, “and being there, being part of that, I played the French horn. At this time, I started to have ear training and music theory and all of that, which kind of led me on a path to try to make my own.”

(15:00) – From Classical Music to Video Games

The discussion turns to his work in the video game industry and how he got his start in composing video-game soundtracks. “I showed up at this incubator with game companies,” he tells us, “and I was, like, ‘This is me, I do music, I want to do music for games.’ And then some of the guys there, they said, ‘Hey, we want to work with you.’" Rune gives us a behind-the-scenes look at game development and recalls his sound work on MineRalph, a game where the soundtrack had to keep pace with the action. “So, because you gain speed if you’re, like, going down a hill or something like that, or down a hole,” he explains, “if you have high speed, the music will change into different adaptive layers.”

(21:40) – Creating Immersive Gaming Soundscapes

As the first half of our talk comes to a close, Rune tells us more about his work with video games and shares another memorable project that took some outside-the-box thinking. “That was like a dystopian world sci-fi thing,” he recalls, “and that was actually mainly symphonic music. But again, it was sci-fi, so I was able to design a lot of, you know, sounds that people did not hear before.” He shares his thoughts on where indie games are heading next and how organic creativity is becoming an increasingly valuable asset in the industry. “I think in terms of trends,” he explains, “people are trying to make immersive worlds that are standing out more than just being, you know, if you use Unity... making it more creative, making your own world, making it hand-drawn instead.”

Episode Summary

Rune shares his early memories of sound, particularly from sci-fi films.
Rune explains his journey from classical music to video game soundtracks.
Discussion on current trends in game audio and the role of AI.

Tune in for next week’s episode as we talk more about the influence of AI in video games and cinema, Rune’s advice to musicians for juggling the rapid-fire demands of modern freelancing, and how countries around the world are managing the environmental impact of the AI boom.

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