Zenless Zone Zero quickly established an identity for itself that even its previews failed to fully prepare its player base for. The quirky, impossibly upbeat adventure at the end of the world is equal parts Street FighterThe more traditional combat and developer HoYoverse, an endless parade of lovable characters available through Gacha systems and enough daily enjoyment to keep people hooked for months or years at a time.
One thing that HoYoverse is particularly known for is its music – Genshin ImpactThe soundtrack is a fan favorite and a popular choice on Spotify (Hoyo-Mix has nearly 2 million monthly listeners). Zenless Zone Zero Did not embrace the known when it came to his OST, however, branching off in wildly divergent directions that yielded interesting results, not the least of which is a collaboration with influential artist DJ Tiesto. Tiesto is considered to be one of the best to do it in his genres, which are as expansive as his list of hit tracks – he’s done just about every EDM sub-genre you can imagine, and probably a couple you’ve never heard of .
For any game, having DJ Tiesto involved would be a huge win. But for one as new as Zenless Zone ZeroIt feels almost impossible. The truth is that the fit was perfect for the beginning, and Tiesto’s familiarity with HoYoverse’s other titles made the opportunity to work on Zenless Zone Zero An appealing one. We chatted with Tiesto and Zenless Zone Zero Music producer Wutao Yang on the soundtrack that colors New Eridu, the collaboration and more.
Why DJ Tiesto fits into Zenless Zone Zero
Screen Rant: What makes Zenless Zone Zero the ideal fit for DJ Tiesto’s brand of music?
Tiesto: As a fan of the world-building in HoYoverse’s other games and seeing how incredible ZZZ is, I was super excited to partner with them on this one. The energy of my music is the perfect fit for the game.
What kind of music style would you define ZZZ as the most of? What do you think is the most obvious and distinctive musical style of “Zero Zone”?
Zenless Zone Zero music producer, Wutao Yang: In fact, the music styles of “Zero” are very diverse. If we had to choose the most representative and unique music styles, it would probably be hip-hop and electronic music. We really want to try some different music possibilities in “Zero”, and the game producer is also very supportive of our innovation. Judging from the comments of players on the music, the overall effect is still quite ideal.
The branching paths of creativity in the ZZZ Universe
What kind of creative possibilities do you see in games like Zone Zero?
Tiesto: I feel very inspired by the endless possibilities in this game. The world they built is incredible, so it made the creative ideas for the music flow very naturally. The endless possibilities in this game gave me a lot of inspiration. The game world created by “Zero” is amazing, so the creativity of music comes naturally.
Zenless Zone Zero music producer, Wutao Yang: For the background music and music for the characters in Zenless Zone Zero, we adopted different production strategies. For background music, we relied more on hip-hop and electronic music that has a distinct, unique style. Although for our character, for example, the song we wrote for Kingey, we opted for a more familiar, catchy genre. Through our music at Zenless Zone Zero, we hope to appeal to the varying preferences of different audiences, and we will continue to try to strike a balance between popular preferences and individual expression. In addition to the in-game music, we’re also experimenting with live performances such as the live set we just did at Creamfields. We look forward to hearing the audience’s feedback on our performances. We will take this feedback into account and do our best to provide our audience with the best music we can offer, both in-game and outside.
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Does Zenless Zone Zero intend to be a home for other musicians who fit the New Eridu vibe in the future?
Zenless Zone Zero Music Producer, Wutao Yang: For our team, we aim to present a more diverse range of music styles and experiences in the game. To do this, we hope to work with more musicians outside of the game and continue to fill New Eridu with vibrant music.
Distinctions between HoYoverse Soundtracks and Future Plans
HoYoverse games are pretty well known for their excellent scores at this point. How do you keep Zenless Zone Zero on track to achieve a similar level of success?
Zenless Zone Zero music producer, Wutao Yang: In terms of music, the role of ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​gogall​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ off theirs of music music music, Zenless Zone music music producer music producer Wutao Yang. Different music designed for different scenes and characters will give players completely different perceptions. We will continue to produce music that will provide players with a better gaming experience, based on different versions of the game and different content. What we can reveal right now is that in the upcoming version 1.2 we have experimented quite a lot with the music we have produced.. We can’t wait for players to share their experiences and feedback with us.
Any chance we see a DJ Tiesto NPC weaving around New Eridu at any point?
Tiesto: You never know! I think it would be a lot of fun to see myself in the game, especially in a place as vibrant and unique as New Eridu. I guess we’ll have to wait and see what HoYoverse has in store!
Zenless Zone Zero music producer, Wutao Yang: It was a great experience for us to work with Tiesto and it really inspired us tremendously. We would like to work with him and other musicians in more creative and innovative ways in the future regarding music collaboration. When it comes to the game itself, as a live service game, Zenless Zone Zero is set in a unique world with its own setting and brand, independent of the real world. The game has been out for 2 months, and we will now focus more on the content of the game itself. It goes without saying that we will explore different directions and possibilities based on player feedback in the long term.
- Released
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July 4, 2024
- developer(s)
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HoYoverse (formerly miHoYo)
- motor
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Unity
- ESRB
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H (Teen) – Suggestive Themes & Violence
Source: Tiesto/YouTube