Star Wars Jedi Survivor Awarded GRAMMY For Video Game Score

The annual music awards celebration, the GRAMMYs, recognized the outstanding achievements of artists across multiple genres throughout the industry in a televised broadcast on 4th February 2023. This was the second consecutive year it honored the musical achievements in video games and other interactive channels following the category's debut in 2023.

Following in the footsteps of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: Dawn of Ragnarök, which took home the gramophone last year, the action-adventure game Star Wars Jedi: Survivor took home the crown during the Premiere Ceremony. Composers Stephen Barton and Gordy Haab accepted the award for "Best Score Soundtrack for Video Games and Other Interactive Media" "for an original score created specifically for, or as a companion to, video games and other interactive media." 

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, the sequel to 2019's Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, was announced as a nominee in November 2023, alongside other gaming titles, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II, God of War: Ragnarök, Hogwarts Legacy, and Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical. During the pre-awards show ceremony, the action-adventure game was announced the winner which Barton and Haab took to the stage to accept the honor.

In his acceptance speech, Haab thanked "everyone at EA, in particular, our co-producer Steve Schnur for his leadership and creativity; Douglas Riley and our friends at LucasFilm Games; everyone at Disney Music Group" and thanked his entire team who worked alongside him.

Barton highlighted the importance of music educators during his acceptance speech, stating, "A special moment for me on this was that we had the Quiristers from the Pilgrims School in Winchester come and record on this. It reminded me about music teachers being the most important thing, so I dedicate this to mine."

The category was one of five additions to the awards line-up, announced in June 2022 before awarding the first at the 65th GRAMMYs in 2023. As described in the official GRAMMY press release, this specific category "Recognizes excellence in score soundtrack albums comprised predominately of original scores and created specifically for, or as a companion to, a current video game or other interactive media released within the qualification period."

According to a statement made by Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr., the inclusion of this category, alongside four notable additions, is "to honor these diverse communities of music creators through the newly established awards and amendments and to continue cultivating an environment that inspires change, progress, and collaboration. The Academy's top priority is to effectively represent the music people that we serve, and each year, that entails listening to our members and ensuring our rules and guidelines reflect our ever-evolving industry."