Jesper Kyd Jakobson (; ; born 3 February 1972) is a Danish composer and sound designer who has worked on various video game, television, and film projects. He has composed soundtracks for the Hitman series, Assassin's Creed series, Borderlands series, Darksiders II, Freedom Fighters, and State of Decay, among many others. His scores use orchestra, choir, acoustic manipulations and electronic soundscapes.

Biography

Early years Kyd started playing the piano at an early age. Later, he took several years of training in classical guitar, note reading, choir singing and classical composition for piano. However, he is mostly self-taught. Kyd started using computers for composing on a Commodore 64 at age 14, and later an Amiga. He and Mikael Balle became members of the demogroup Silents DK, and later started collaborating with a group of coders known as Crionics. They eventually made the Amiga demoscene production Hardwired. Kyd also created and scored the first wild demo, Global Trash 2, together with Mikael Balle.

Kyd then left the demoscene and started to work as a game musician. He and others created the computer game developer Zyrinx and a game called Sub-Terrania for the Sega Genesis. The team then relocated to Boston. Kyd composed music for two additional Zyrinx titles, Red Zone and Scorcher and the music for two externally developed games, Amok and The Adventures of Batman and Robin for the Sega Genesis. Zyrinx dissolved when their game publisher Scavenger went bankrupt.

Freelance Many former Zyrinx members returned to Denmark to start IO Interactive, but Kyd moved to New York City and set up his own sound studio in Manhattan called "Nano studios". He then worked as a freelance video game musician.

The soundtrack to Hitman: Codename 47 was based on urban soundscapes and ethnic instrumentation. He then recorded the soundtrack of Hitman 2: Silent Assassin with 110 musicians of the Budapest Symphony Orchestra and Hungarian Radio Choir. He recorded the score for the action/adventure Freedom Fighters with the Hungarian Radio choir. It was described by Film Score Monthly Magazine as "Vangelis on steroids". He used modern electronica and symphonic and choral music in Hitman: Contracts. Kyd followed up with Hitman: Blood Money, also performed by the Budapest Symphony Orchestra and Hungarian Radio Choir.

Kyd then provided a cinematic middle eastern-based score for Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed. This was followed by the soundtrack for Assassin's Creed II (2009), Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood (2010), and Assassin's Creed: Revelations (2011), the latter in collaboration with Lorne Balfe. Kyd was personally responsible for composing the now-famous "Ezio's Family" for Assassin's Creed II; the track would become the unofficial theme of the Assassin's Creed franchise, being remixed and sampled in every subsequent soundtrack in the franchise. Kyd also wrote music for several games in the Borderlands franchise, as well as the soundtrack for Darksiders II, notable for being his first entirely non-digital score. In 2020, Kyd returned to the Assassin's Creed franchise with Assassin's Creed: Valhalla, alongside Sarah Schachner and Einar Selvik.

Kyd composed the soundtrack of Warhammer 40,000: Darktide, which released in 2022. Kyd sought to create a score that would fit a retro-futuristic setting, and avoided using orchestral elements and guitars, which were typically found in other Warhammer games. The score was inspired by "cyberpunk culture and sci-fi manga," with the main instruments including drum machines and modular synths.

Influences

Jesper Kyd's influences include composers such as Ottorino Respighi, Igor Stravinsky, Jean-Michel Jarre, Vangelis, Mike Oldfield, John Williams, Jerry Goldsmith, and bands such as Röyksopp, the Knife, Pink Floyd, and Underworld.

Works

Video games + Video games Year Title Notes 1990U.S.S. John Young 1993Pro Moves SoccerSub-Terrania 1994Red Zone 1995The Adventures of Batman & RobinSega Mega Drive/Genesis version 1996AmokScorcher 1999Time TremorsAlien Nations 2000MDK2with Albert Olson and Raymond WattsMessiah SoldierHitman: Codename 47 2001The Nations: Alien Nations 2LightWeight Ninjawith Eric Heberling, Speier Music Productions and REMediaShattered Galaxy 2002Minority Report: The Video GameHitman 2: Silent Assassin 2003Brute Forcewith James HanniganFreedom Fighters Wirtschaftsgiganten - Die Ultimative CollectionPrisms of Light 2 2004McFarlane's Evil ProphecyHitman: ContractsRobotech: InvasionDance Dance Revolution Ultramix 22005Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Chaos Theorywith Amon TobinDance Dance Revolution STR!KE2006Hitman: Blood Money Close Quarters Conflict 2007Kane & Lynch: Dead MenAssassin's CreedUnreal Tournament 3with Rom Di Prisco 2008The Clubmain themeThe Chronicles of Spellborn 2009Borderlandswith Cris Velasco, Sascha Dikiciyan, and Raison VarnerAssassin's Creed II 2010Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood 2011Forza Motorsport 4Assassin's Creed: Revelationswith Lorne Balfe2012Soulcalibur Vwith several othersDarksiders IITransformers: Prime - The Gamewith several othersBorderlands 2with Cris Velasco, Sascha Dikiciyan, and Raison Varner2013State of Decaywith DreisskSoldiers Inc. Sparta: War of Empires2014Pirates: Tides of FortuneStormfall: Age of WarHeroes & GeneralsBorderlands: The Pre-Sequel!with Des Shore and Justin Mullins2015Moonrisewith Jeff BroadbentWarhammer: End Times - Vermintide 2016Robinson: The Journey2017MU LegendBattle Chasers: Nightwar2018Warhammer: Vermintide 2State of Decay 2with Dreissk2019Borderlands 3with Michael McCann, Finishing Move Inc., Raison Varner2020Assassin's Creed Valhallawith Sarah Schachner and Einar Selvik2022Dune: Spice Warswith Quentin MalapelWarhammer 40,000: Darktide2026Samson2027State of Decay 3Development in progress TBANo LawDevelopment in progressN/AWonder WomanCanceled

Films +YearTitle2000Night All Day2006Sweet InsanityDeath of a Saleswoman2007La Passion de Jeanne d'Arc (1928, new score)2008Staunton Hill2010A Perfect Soldier2015Chronicles of the Ghostly Tribe2018Tumbbad2025Crazxy

Short films +YearTitle2000Organizm2001The Lion TamerGoing with Neill2002Day PassPaper Plane ManPure2003Cycle2006ImpulseVirus2010The Auctioneers2011SomnolenceAssassin's Creed: Embers2023RAID: Call of the Arbiter

TV series +YearTitle2009The Resistance2012-13Métal Hurlant Chronicles

Awards +YearTitleNotes2005BAFTA Award for Best Original MusicFor Hitman: Contracts2005G.A.N.G. Award for Best Cinematic/Cut-Scene Audio2009G.A.N.G. Award for Music of the YearHollywood Music in Media Award2018Nile Rodgers Global Creators Award

Nominations +YearTitle2004G.A.N.G Award for "Best Original Vocal Song – Choral" Billboard Digital Entertainment Awards nomination for Best Use of Soundtrack2006MTV's Video Music Awards in the Best Video Game Score category

References

External links

Artist profile at OverClocked ReMix