Winifred Phillips Wins Grammy for Best Video Game Soundtrack

Winifred Phillips, the composer behind the soundtrack for Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord, has clinched the Grammy for Best Score Soundtrack for Video Games and Other Interactive Media at the 67th Grammy Awards. In her acceptance speech, Phillips expressed gratitude towards developer Digital Eclipse and the audience for their support and enthusiasm, stating, "It means so much."

Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord is a 3D remake of the original 1981 medieval fantasy game, Wizardry. This pioneering title is renowned as the first party-based video game RPG and has influenced iconic series such as Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest. The remake maintains the essence of the original by being built directly on its code, allowing players to switch to the classic Apple 2 interface during gameplay.

Winifred Phillips at the 67th Grammy Awards. Photo by Rich Polk/Billboard via Getty Images.

Phillips' victory came against formidable competition, including Wilbert Roget, II for Star Wars Outlaws, John Paesano for Marvel's Spider-Man 2, Bear McCreary for God of War Ragnarök: Valhalla, and Pinar Toprak for Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora.

In a subsequent interview, Phillips shared her astonishment at the win, noting, "I really didn’t expect it. The category was populated with so much brilliance this year, and I have so much deep respect for the other nominees in this category. So to have been recognized is just a highlight of my career. It truly is."

She further elaborated on the unique nature of composing for video games, saying, "We’re creating music that needs to accompany people who are having an experience and who are making choices, and having adventures and living a grand story, and we’re creating the music for that story. It’s such a wonderful privilege because you feel like you’re collaborating with the players. Like you know them and they know you. It’s really very special."

Previous recipients of this prestigious award include Stephanie Economou for Assassin's Creed Valhalla and Stephen Barton and Gordy Haab for Star Wars Jedi: Survivor. The first video game music to win a Grammy in any category was "Baba Yetu" by Christopher Tin for Civilization 4, which triumphed at the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards in 2011.