In the world of AAA video games, the role of the “music designer” has become a critical bridge between artistic composition and technical implementation. Part-enginner and part-musician, Udit Srivathsan is a music designer and audio engineer sitting at this unique niche. His audio work spans some of the most anticipated titles in the gaming industry, including Marvel’s Wolverine and Ghost of Yōtei, which just won a Music Editing award at the 73rd Motion Pictures Sound Editors Awards, which was announced March 2026. Srivathsan was part of the Music Editing team that won the Golden Reel Award with Sony Interactive Entertainment for winning the Outstanding Achievement in Music Editing for Game Music.
Udit is currently serving as a Music Designer at Sony Interactive Entertainment America, and his career offers a look into the complex systems that allow video game music to react dynamically to player choices. His approach, which he describes as a combination of “creativity with logical problem solving,” involves taking recorded material and designing the systems that determine how it transitions during gameplay.
“It’s like scoring a movie, but it can go in so many directions,” Udit said in a recent interview.
Engineering the Sound of Superheroes
Udit’s portfolio includes high-profile contributions to several major franchises. On Marvel’s Wolverine, he initially served on the engineering team, where he was responsible for preparing composer stems for recording sessions. This involved analyzing the score to determine how to record ensembles in a way that maximized flexibility for music editors later in production.
Just as his work on Ghost of Yōtei recently garnered a 2026 MPSE Golden Reel Award for Outstanding Achievement in Music Editing, it’s a testament to the increasing recognition of music design as a specialized craft within the industry.
“Being brought on to work on Ghost of Yōtei with a team of experienced veterans was an honor and I’m thankful for their trust in me! I learned so much along the way from people like Andrew Buresh, Sonia Coronado and Ted Kocher and I look forward to continuing to work together on many more projects in the future.”
Meanwhile, while working on titles like Saros, Udit collaborated with the PlayStation music team in the UK, working with music by composer Sam Slater. Udit was tasked with creating “mashups” of existing themes for specific boss fights, ensuring the music remained tonally consistent while cutting through the game’s dense sound design. “This was definitely a challenge,” he said, “making the cues stand out enough yet work amidst the super crunchy and satisfying sound design already in the game.”
Mastery of Immersive Formats
Beyond gaming, Srivathsan has established himself as a specialist in immersive audio formats, particularly Dolby Atmos. He served as the Upmix Engineer for the Counter-Strike 2 Masterminds II Music Kit box, taking stereo mixes from composers such as Austin Wintory and Ben Bromfield and expanding them into a spatial environment.
His engineering credits also extend to legendary experimental acts; he served as the Lead Recording Engineer for Dr. Dark (2025) by The Residents. This technical versatility is rooted in his training at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where he studied both music composition and audio engineering.
Bridging Film and Games in The Studio
Udit’s background in film post-production—including dialogue editing for the feature film Second Chance (2024) and assistant engineering on the horror-thriller Ick (2024)—has informed his perspective on interactive media. He maintains that the disciplines are more similar than they appear, noting that both require an understanding of narrative context and the ability to anticipate changes in a scene.
“In a movie, there’s a story, cutscenes, dialogue, and sound design—all of which can change,” Udit explains. “Understanding when a scene is ready to score or edit and how to anticipate any changes is something that working with films has given me insight into.”
Udit’s Artistic Exploration
While much of his work involves technical implementation for major studios, Udit continues to pursue independent artistic projects. Alongside co-composer Cullen Luper, he wrote and produced “Unbound,” an hour-long narrative immersive album. The project featured a live performance with a multichannel speaker system, utilizing twelve speakers to surround the audience, further pushing the boundaries of spatial storytelling.
As the industry moves toward more sophisticated audio systems, Udit’s hybrid role as an engineer and music designer highlights a growing trend in entertainment: the blurring of lines between the person who writes the music and the person who builds the system that delivers it.
With upcoming projects including Kena: Scars of Kosmora and continued work on Sony’s premier titles, keep an eye on Srivathsan’s musical work on his website, uditsrivathsanmusic.com.
